Table of Contents  
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year : 2013  |  Volume : 6  |  Issue : 2  |  Page : 139-141  

The effectiveness of integrated teaching over traditional teaching among first year MBBS students: A preliminary Study


1 Department of Anatomy, Vinayaka Mission Kirupananda Variyar Medical College, Salem, India
2 Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission Kirupananda Variyar Medical College, Salem, India

Date of Web Publication10-Apr-2013

Correspondence Address:
Shankar Radhakrishnan
Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Mission Kirupananda Variyar Medical College, Salem - 636 308
India
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/0975-2870.110296

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  Abstract 

Background: Medicine is not grasped as a whole subject by the students. Also, the teaching creates disinterest among the students to learn the subject. Teaching basic sciences in different blocks gives no chance for the student to correlate and integrate the knowledge what they had gained. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of the integrated teaching method over the conventional method of teaching among the first year MBBS students. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was done on 100 first year MBBS students of VMKV Medical College, Salem, during April 2012. The students were divided into two groups on a random basis, with 50 in each group. The first group students underwent the conventional type of teaching and for the other group, integrated teaching was practiced. Finally, an evaluation test was conducted for both the groups and the mean marks obtained by the students were analyzed by using unpaired "t" test. Results: The total marks (out of 30) in conventional teaching method was found to be 15.40 ± 4.62, and in integrated teaching method it was 21.8 ± 4.48. So, the marks obtained by students after integrated method were found to be higher than the marks obtained after conventional teaching and this difference was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: The integrated teaching was found to be an effective method of teaching than the traditional conventional method in terms of students' performance in assessment examinations.

Keywords: Integrated teaching, MBBS students, traditional teaching


How to cite this article:
Doraisamy R, Radhakrishnan S. The effectiveness of integrated teaching over traditional teaching among first year MBBS students: A preliminary Study. Med J DY Patil Univ 2013;6:139-41

How to cite this URL:
Doraisamy R, Radhakrishnan S. The effectiveness of integrated teaching over traditional teaching among first year MBBS students: A preliminary Study. Med J DY Patil Univ [serial online] 2013 [cited 2024 Mar 29];6:139-41. Available from: https://journals.lww.com/mjdy/pages/default.aspx/text.asp?2013/6/2/139/110296


  Introduction Top


In the present system of undergraduate medical education, knowledge is gained in isolation. In other words, each subject in basic sciences is taught in different blocks with no chances for the student to correlate and integrate the knowledge gained. Therefore, the art and practice of Medicine is not grasped as a whole subject by the students. Also, such teaching creates a disinterest among the students to learn the subject. The Medical Council of India currently stresses on the "need-based" curriculum to create interest among the students. [1] To meet this end, the Medical Council of India in its amendment 2012 has recommended the integrated teaching method and also strives to make it a part of regular curriculum. [2] Currently some of the medical schools in India and most of the medical schools abroad follow an integrated teaching. The medical educationists in India also recommend such a teaching-learning method as a better method when compared to the conventional teaching pattern. [3],[4] Newer concepts need to undergo acid tests of time and reliability to be approved and followed uniformly everywhere. The present study aims to test the effectiveness of the integrated teaching method over the conventional method of teaching.


  Materials and Methods Top


A prospective study was done on 100 first year MBBS students of VMKV Medical College, Salem, during April 2012 after due Institutional ethical clearance and informed consent from the students were obtained. The students were divided into two groups on a random basis (50 students in each group). Initially a pretest was conducted in both the groups and the mean marks obtained by both the groups was 3 (integrated teaching group) and 3.10 (traditional teaching group), respectively, which was found to be of not much difference, and so these marks was not included for final analysis. For the first group students, the conventional type of teaching was practiced in the respective first year departments (Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry) on the chapters based on their departmental timetable and an evaluation was done by conducting a tutorial test at the end of the week. Whereas the second group students underwent an integrated teaching, where all three departments integrated together and discussed a common topic (extra pyramidal system) over a period of three consecutive days. After 3 days, they were given a test and the marks obtained by the students in both the groups were taken for analysis. The data were analyzed statistically using unpaired "t" test (SPSS version 17).


  Results Top


The marks obtained after conventional teaching and integrated teaching are shown in [Table 1]. The total marks (out of 30) in conventional teaching method was found to be 15.40 ± 4.62, and in integrated teaching method it was found to be 21.8 ± 4.48. The marks obtained by students after integrated method were found to be higher than the marks obtained after conventional teaching. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.0001).
Table 1: Marks obtained by the students based on conventional and integrated teaching


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  Discussion Top


The aim of education in medical curriculum is to help students to assimilate knowledge and skills in different disciplines and apply rightly for the benefit of the patients and the society as a whole. The current system of education follows a building principle to achieve this end. [3] Fragmented approach to teaching is the sole disadvantage in the present system of education. This disjointed learning creates a disinterest among the students and the knowledge gained is not put into practice.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for an innovation in the current medical curriculum. Integrated teaching is one such innovation that could change the outlook of teaching-learning process. [5] According to Barzansky et al., [6] an integrated curriculum is a non-compartmentalized approach to learning. The types of integrated teaching include horizontal integration and vertical integration. If the departments teaching concurrently in a single phase of curriculum integrate, then it is a horizontal integration, and when integration occurs between subjects taught traditionally in different phases of curriculum, then it is called as vertical integration. However, in reality, both horizontal and vertical integration go hand in hand in an integrated course. [3]

The present study revealed that the average marks obtained by students after an integrated teaching approach was greater than the marks obtained by students after the conventional teaching method [Table 1]. Few other Indian studies have also confirmed that the performance of the students after integrating is better than the performance after conventional method. [3],[4] Students trained with integrated curriculum were more accurate in diagnosis of the clinical disorders than those trained in a conventional curriculum. [7] Integrated teaching improves the cognitive and psychomotor domains of students and creates interest in topics and eliminates the fear toward the subject. The present study did not take into account the feedback of the students and faculty on the integrated teaching. Studies by Kate et al.[4] show that this teaching-learning method was welcomed with great enthusiasm both by students and faculty. This study also stresses on sensitizing the faculty (irrespective of cadre) for effective implementation of the curriculum.


  Conclusion Top


The integrated teaching is an effective method over the conventional teaching method in terms of performance in assessment examinations. The present study is limited to the first phase of the curriculum and the authors recommend studies in other phases too in future.

 
  References Top

1.Dandannavar VS. Effect of Integrated Teaching Versus Conventional Lecturing on MBBS phase I students. Recent Res Sci Technol 2010;2:40-8.  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.Jamkar AV, Yemul VL, Singh G. Integrated teaching program with student centered case base learning for undergraduates at BJ Medical College Pune. Available from: www.faimer.org/education/fellows/abstracts/04jamkar.pdf [Last accessed on 2012].  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.Joglekar S, Bhuiyan PS, Kishore S. Integrated teaching-our experience. J Postgrad Med 1994;40:23.  Back to cited text no. 3
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4.Kate MS, Kulkarni UJ, Supe A, Deshmukh YA, Introducing Integrated Teaching In Undergraduate Medical Curriculum. Intl J Pharma Sci Res 2010;1:18-22.  Back to cited text no. 4
    
5.Smith SR. Toward an Integrated Medical Curriculum. Med Health R I 2005;88:258-61.  Back to cited text no. 5
    
6.Barbara B, Jonas HS, Etzel IS. Undergraduate Medical Education. JAMA 1989;262:1019-9.  Back to cited text no. 6
    
7.Schmidt HG, Machiels-Bongaerts M, Hermans H, ten Cate TJ, Venekamp R, Boshuizen HP. The development of diagnostic competence: Comparison of a problem based, an integrated and a conventional medical curriculum. Acad Med 1996;71:658-64.  Back to cited text no. 7
    



 
 
    Tables

  [Table 1]


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Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Me...
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