E-PBL: An Innovation to Promote Active Learning and Decrease Cognitive Overload among Medical Students

Problem based learning (PBL) encourages students to develop generic skills and enhances active & deep learning. However, many times logistics and availability of trained facilitators decrease the possibility of having an effective PBL. This study was planned with an aim to investigate the possibility of using technology along with human support to achieve the same, thus testing the usefulness of e-PBL as one of the options replacing conventional PBL.

Sixty-four year 2 MBBS students were selected to undergo e-PBL using Google forms. On day 1 the trigger was sent to the students, day 3 they were told to send the facts and unfamiliar words with their meaning. On day 4 the guiding questions were posted which triggered students to search for more information. The answers for the guiding questions were sent by the students on the 6^th day. On day 8, the students were given a mini test. The process was repeated for the other triggers. Modified essay question test was given to students who took e-PBL and conventional PBL. The study aimed at assessing the knowledge gained between both groups of students and the perception of the students who took e-PBL.

On comparison among the two groups, the P value was found to be statistically non-significant for both end block and e-PBL MEQs (P value 0.6 and 0.2). The students felt that e-PBL increased their ability to link basic science knowledge with clinical and applied knowledge (3.46±.910) and helped them to have a systemic understanding on the topic (3.49±0.910) and also promoted their motivation for self-study and improved their information management skills.

There was no difference in the knowledge gained among both groups of students. This suggests that e PBL can be a good alternative for the conventional PBL.