Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Abstract Globally, health is regarded as a booming industry with greater stress being laid on high quality,
accountability, and transparency. Traditional medical curricula rely primarily on clerkships during
the clinical period of study to train clinical skills, while the preclinical period is mainly used to teach
the basic sciences. In recent years, the early introduction of clinical skills training has received
increased attention. This review aims to identify and summarize teaching approaches of clinical
skills for medical students during preclinical years, namely,  (1) framing objectives  (2) learning
activities, and (3) evaluation strategies. Although the clinical tutor’s role is to ensure that students
receive effective preclinical skills through different modes of learning (lectures, presentations, and
problem‑based learning), the role of advanced technologies, namely, simulation‑based learning
platforms and gamification are found to be very successful. To improve the communication skills,
there is strong evidence in support of role plays, and similarly, for enhancing observation skills, an
introduction of fine arts in clinical skills training was found to be very useful. Medical schools worldwide
should give high priority to conduct faculty development programs on various aspects of training
and teaching modalities, evaluation strategies, and improving the evaluation of various clinical skills.
Students should be provided with sufficient learning opportunities including a well‑equipped clinical
skills laboratory and individual attention, and constructive feedback should be given to students for
building their confidence level during their learning process.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was designed to investigate medical students’ perceptions
of small group teaching effectiveness in a hybrid curriculum.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross‑sectional, descriptive survey was conducted at the School
of Medicine, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine where we collected the data from
195 undergraduate students. A self‑administered questionnaire consisting of 25 items was used to
measure students’ perception on the effectiveness of problem‑based learning (PBL) with regard to
learning experience, teamwork, confidence, communication skills, and role of the tutor. Statistical
analyses included mean and standard deviation for the description of each item; t‑test to compare
the mean scores for gender and class year, and one‑way analysis of variance between groups for
age group comparisons.
RESULTS: The students overall perceptions of small group teaching effectiveness showed that the
PBL sessions were beneficial to their learning process (mean: 3.63 ± 0.46). Students have positive
perceptions toward small group effectiveness, particularly in learning experience (mean: 3.98 ± 0.63)
and teamwork (mean: 3.67 ± 0.58). The mean scores, measuring teamwork, for 2nd year students was
significantly higher than that for 1st year students (3.76 ± 0.55 and 3.55 ± 0.60 respectively, P = 013).
A similar significant trend was observed between 2nd year and 1st year students on communication
skills (3.48 ± 0.67 and 3.29 ± 0.55, respectively, P = 0.046).
CONCLUSIONS: PBL is an effective small group teaching method for medical students. Faculty
development and students’ training programs are required before implementing PBL.