Indian Journal of Medical Biochemistry

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VOLUME 25 , ISSUE 3 ( September-December, 2021 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Teaching Aids in Medical Education: An Integrated Approach over Conventional Methods

Archana Nimesh, Mohit Mehndiratta, Rajarshi Kar, Seema Garg, Dinesh Puri

Keywords : Blackboard, Didactic lecture, Interactive whiteboard, Medical education, Overhead projector, PowerPoint, Teaching aids

Citation Information : Nimesh A, Mehndiratta M, Kar R, Garg S, Puri D. Teaching Aids in Medical Education: An Integrated Approach over Conventional Methods. Indian J Med Biochem 2021; 25 (3):113-117.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10054-0188

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 11-03-2022

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2021; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim and background: Didactic lecture is a predominant teaching method in medical colleges. Therefore, it should be made as effective as possible using appropriate and effective teaching aids. This paper assesses the preference of first-year medical undergraduate students for commonly used teaching aids during lectures and analyses the reasons mentioned by them for saying so. Materials and methods: A self-designed feedback form was distributed to students of four groups (namely A, B, C, D) to indicate their preference for teaching aids [PowerPoint (PPT), overhead projector (OHP), blackboard/interactive whiteboard (IWB), direct interaction without teaching aid] and mention reasons for their respective choice. Results: Batch A predominantly opted for PPT (50.6%) followed by blackboard/IWB (35.1%). Batch B predominantly opted for blackboard/IWB (52.0%) followed by PPT (42.2%). Batch C showed an equal preference for PPT (41.9%) and blackboard/IWB (41.9%). Batch D had a slightly higher preference for PPT (41.2%) over blackboard/IWB (38.8%). Preference for OHP was feeble in all batches (9.1, 1.9, 8.1, and 8.8% for Batch A, B, C, and D, respectively). Likewise, the preference for “direct interaction without teaching aid” was feeble in all batches (5.2, 3.9, 8.1, and 11.2% for Batch A, B, C, and D, respectively). Conclusion: Students were not satisfied with PPT or blackboard teaching owing to their demerits. Students recommended their combination. Interactive whiteboard could be an efficient tool to integrate the two and make lectures more effective. Interactive whiteboard has great potential in facilitating the integration of pre-clinical and clinical subjects by allowing videos/animations/internet functions. This may be particularly useful for the competency-based medical education curriculum where there is an emphasis on integrated teaching.


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