Assessment About Teaching Effects Applied Into Physiology Course

Background: PBL, whose full name is Problem-Based Learning, was initially designed by Professor Barrows, a famous major in neuropathy, at McMaster University in Canada in 1969. Its characteristic is to focus on students while teachers act as a guider during the course of PBL. Simply speaking, students will acquire knowledge through resolving problems. Based on traditional subjects and teachers centered, this kind of teaching pattern is very distinguished. PBL pattern is very popular in western countries, especially in many foreign medical colleges. In recent years, our country has attempted to make similar researches and reports about it, but still at a beginning stage. To know more about advantages and disadvantages, PBL pattern has been applied into some chapters of physiology course in 3 successive years, at the same time making questionnaires to students about the effects of PBL. We made an investigation into the influence of PBL pattern on students, through analyzing the overall effects of PBL objectively.Methods: (1) Teachers will instruct some key contents, basic conception and the design of PBL teaching problems. (2) PBL pattern will be applied into parts of physiology courses for 495 college students from 2003 to 2005 divided into several groups consisting of 5 or 6 students each group, at Shanxi Medical University. (3) Substituting traditional teaching methods for a five stages teaching pattern: putting forward questions-establishing supposition-collecting materials-argument supposition-summarization. (4) Making questionnaires for students in the 2005 grade year during the various stages of PBL pattern, also making following questionnaires for students who are in the 2003 and 2004 grade year respectively.Results: (1): Making a statistic analysis between individual factors of characteristics of high school, birth place and the results of PBL assessment, which had no effects on PBL(P>0.05). (2): Students occupied 60% to 80% consider that PBL pattern can intensify their abilities of studying independently, communicating with others and teamwork, that stimulate their interests in studying increased to 23.4 per from 3.4 per before experiments (P<0.05). What is more, their attitudes toward using network and library have changed apparently, from 84.5 % to 90.3 % (P<0.05) .3: Students occupied 70.5 % consider PBL pattern to be effective in 2005 grade year, and others occupied 79.4% can combine their study with PBL connectively. Students made up 74.8 % consider that PBL pattern should be applied widely. Conclusion:1. PBL teaching pattern is helpful for increasing students' knowledge, interests and initiative in studying, and learning efficiency.2. PBL teaching pattern can enhance students' abilities of independent study, interpersonal communication and resolving problem.Limitation: Close analysis of the investigation shows that there are some problems about lack of group management, anti-thinking, teachers' experience in PBL pattern and teaching periods during the whole course of PBL pattern, by which we should promote this pattern to much degree, ensure the time and cost, intensify teachers' instruction and combine teachers together among different subjects.