Comparative study of conventional teaching methods and case discussions among the First Year MBBS Students

Introduction: This study compares two commonly practised methods of didactic teaching employed during theory classes i.e., power point presentation and blackboard teaching, and evaluates the impact of substituting these age-old techniques with case discussions based on real life clinical scenarios. Setting and Design: This cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India. Subjects and Methods: A total of 198 first year MBBS students participated in the study during the period September 2015 to June 2016. The tool used was a pretested questionnaire which served as a feedback form. The obtained data was systemically tabulated. A SPSS software was used to analyze the data and appropriate pie charts and tables were drawn. Results: A large majority of students found case discussions to be far more interesting and useful from the perspective of learning and understanding. Conclusion: Didactic teaching methods do not contribute significantly to the knowledge base of the students. Case discussions, which highlight the clinical relevance of the subject through real life situations are a far more effective and robust method for developing a keener understanding of biochemistry among the students.