Self‐Directed Learning: A learning experience in Physiology

Abstract

This paper highlights the importance of self-directed learning sessions in teaching Physiology for undergraduate medical students. Self-directed learning sessions were introduced for 136- first year medical students at Melaka Manipal Medical College (Manipal campus). These sessions consisted of two hours of student presentation where the students learned about a topic in Physiology by presentation and group discussion under the guidance of a subject expert. The topic selected for self-directed learning was announced a week before the day of presentation. Certain topics were taught by traditional didactic lectures. Two tests were conducted, with one including the topics studied in self-directed learning sessions (Exam 1) and the other with the topics taught in lectures (Exam 2). Mean scores of the two tests were compared using paired t-test. Feedback from the students were collected and analysed. Analysis of student performance in the examinations revealed that the students’ scores were high in Exam 1 (P* <0.0001). Also, students felt that self-directed learning sessions were motivating and that they were made more responsible in their studies.