An introductory course on study skills forming a bridge between traditional and problem based learning (PBL).

TLDR: The course made the process of transition from traditional system of learning to more innovative methods of learning, smoother for the students.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE To introduce entrants in a medical university coming from traditional system of education to student-centered, problem based learning (PBL) and acquaint them with small group dynamics in order to make them life long learners. SETTING Ziauddin Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan. SUBJECTS First Year Students of Medical University. DESIGN The course was of ten hours, divided in six session. In the first session, there were exercises for interaction in small groups, followed by sessions on principles of learning, learning methodologies, PBL, assessment and lastly importance of feedback. RESULT Evaluation of the course revealed that 63% of the students agreed that the course achieved its objectives, 25% were not sure while 12% disagreed. Seventy one percent agreed that the course promoted student to student interaction, 24% were not sure while 5% disagreed. CONCLUSION The course made the process of transition from traditional system of learning to more innovative methods of learning, smoother for the students. The general feeling of the faculty members was that these students were able to perform better than the students who had not taken this course. It is too early to determine the success of this course. A follow-up study however is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this course by determining the performance of students in small group session of Problem-Based Learning.