Sheri Ft Fong1, Damon H Sakai1, Marcel D'Eon2,3, Krista Trinder3. 1. Office of Medical Education, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Hawaii. USA. 2. Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Georgia, USA. 3. College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Abstract
Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) relies heavily on case structure for their success. To make more meaningful cases, faculty introduced a "case node" that requires students to make a group decision on the action they will take at a given point in the case. The purpose of this study was to determine whether case nodes enhance PBL discussions. Methods: Two PBL cases were designed with and without a node. In 2011, 2012, and 2015, first-year medical students were assigned one PBL case with a node and one without a node. In total, 26 groups processed cases with a node while 27 groups processed the same cases without the node. All sessions were audio recorded and analyzed to determine the length and quality of discussions. Results: Groups with a node, regardless of case (M = 25.62, SD = 12.25) spent significantly more time in discussion on the node topic than those without a node (M = 16.54, SD = 10.33, p=.005, d = .80). Groups with a node, regardless of case (M = 14.38, SD = 8.04) expressed an opinion significantly more frequently than those without a node (M = 6.07, SD = 5.80, p < .001, d = 1.19). Conclusions: Case nodes increased both the length and depth of discussion on a topic and may be an effective way to enhance case-based instruction.
Background: Problem-based learning (PBL) relies heavily on case structure for their success. To make more meaningful cases, faculty introduced a "case node" that requires students to make a group decision on the action they will take at a given point in the case. The purpose of this study was to determine whether case nodes enhance PBL discussions. Methods: Two PBL cases were designed with and without a node. In 2011, 2012, and 2015, first-year medical students were assigned one PBL case with a node and one without a node. In total, 26 groups processed cases with a node while 27 groups processed the same cases without the node. All sessions were audio recorded and analyzed to determine the length and quality of discussions. Results: Groups with a node, regardless of case (M = 25.62, SD = 12.25) spent significantly more time in discussion on the node topic than those without a node (M = 16.54, SD = 10.33, p=.005, d = .80). Groups with a node, regardless of case (M = 14.38, SD = 8.04) expressed an opinion significantly more frequently than those without a node (M = 6.07, SD = 5.80, p < .001, d = 1.19). Conclusions: Case nodes increased both the length and depth of discussion on a topic and may be an effective way to enhance case-based instruction.