Blended Learning in Undergraduate Respiratory Medicine: A Crossover Study
Keywords:
Blended learning, Competency Based Medical Education, Problem-based self-directed learning, Respiratory Medicine, Undergraduate Medical EducationAbstract
Background: Competency-Based Medical Education promotes learner-centered strategies to enhance clinical reasoning and engagement. Problem-based self-directed learning is increasingly adopted in undergraduate teaching; however, its effectiveness compared with traditional lectures in respiratory medicine remains uncertain. This study compared learning outcomes of problem-based self-directed learning and didactic lectures and assessed student perceptions of these methods.
Methods: A quasi-experimental crossover study was conducted among 120 second-phase MBBS students in a tertiary care teaching institution. Students were divided into two groups and exposed to both teaching methods across six respiratory medicine competencies. Each group attended three sessions of each method in a crossover design. Knowledge was assessed using multiple-choice and short-answer questions. Student perceptions were collected through a structured feedback questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Student’s t-test and analysis of variance.
Results: Attendance was comparable between the two methods. Overall assessment scores did not differ significantly between groups. However, significant differences were observed in two competencies (p<0.05). Most students reported both methods as helpful for understanding patient management and expressed a preference for a blended approach incorporating lectures, case discussions, and interactive learning.
Conclusion: Problem-based self-directed learning demonstrated comparable effectiveness to didactic lectures in short-term knowledge acquisition in undergraduate respiratory medicine, with students showing a preference for combined teaching approaches.
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