Kaohsiung J Med Sci
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Kaohsiung J Med Sci · May 2009
Short-term outcomes of a near-full PBL curriculum in a new Taiwan medical school.
Problem-based learning (PBL), which incorporates principles of adult learning, is an important innovation in medical education. The use of PBL in health professional curricula is becoming more widespread. The curriculum design and the ways of implementing PBL are different among schools. ⋯ The initial batches of medical students (students from the first three cohorts) had the highest passing rate for Part 1 (basic sciences in medicine) and students from the first two cohorts had a 100% passing rate for Part 2 (clinical medicine) of the Taiwan Medical Licensure Examination. A near-full PBL curriculum in Asian medical schools is feasible and could encourage students to improve their self-directed learning abilities, learn adequate knowledge in basic sciences, and experience positive effects on learning clinical medicine. Better preparation of students for integrated learning of basic and clinical sciences are still needed, as is an emphasis on tutor training to improve the effectiveness of tutorial discussions.