Enhancement of student learning in PBL by video triggers

Abstract

The use of video triggers in problem-based learning at the LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong has been shown in a previous study to be well received by both students and facilitators. This study examined the effects of video triggers on the learning of the four themes of the medical curriculum: human biology in health and disease, professional skills, population health, and medical ethics. All second-year medical students and their PBL facilitators who had completed a video-triggered PBL session were approached to take part in the study in 2007, in which 129 students and 13 tutors responded. Their responses were measured by a structured questionnaire using a modified Likert scale. The majority (72%) of students thought the use of video triggers could enhance their learning of population health, while only 39% of the facilitators did. However, most students and facilitators agreed that video triggers could enhance their learning of the other three themes, especially that of professional skills. The highest percentage of students and facilitators considered their learning of professional skills to be enhanced by the use of video triggers. This was probably because of the ‘role model’ effect. The learning of human biology in health and disease, which consists of many basic sciences in the second-year medical curriculum, was also considered to be enhanced. The use of video triggers may have enhanced student’s interest in the basic sciences, by showing them the clinical relevance of basic sciences in real life.