1Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, KLE University's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, India
2Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, KLE University's Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Belgaum, India
3Associate Professor, Department of Statistics, USM KLE International Medical Programme, Belgaum, India
*Corresponding author email id: chetanaph@gmail.com
Online published on 15 September, 2015.
Group discussions are at the centre of medical education because most adults learn the clinical aspects more efficiently when small group discussions (SGDs) are conducted, and what they learn is retained longer when they are able to engage in active learning.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of SGD for acquisition of content knowledge and problem-solving skills in students in biochemistry.
The study was conducted in ‘gastrointestinal tract(GIT) block'after completing the didacticlectures. Apre-test wasconducted before SGD. Later the prepared modules were given to the students consisting of well-structured questions on the objectives covered in lectures on GIT block prior to the SGD session. A post-test was conducted and scores compared.
The mean of the pre-test performance score was (56.70 ± 25.12) and of the post-test was (79.46 ± 17.05) and the difference in the mean was (22.77 ± 21.76); a significant improvement of 40.16% in scores was observed.
Combination of lectures and SGD sessions seems to offer the student the most appropriate means of education. It is needed to assess the effectiveness of SGD in curriculum aimed at continuous medical educational development.
Small group discussion, Interactive teaching, Biochemistry, Medical Education, Problem solving, Content knowledge, Undergraduate teaching
