Clinical Medical Students’ Preferred Teaching Methods: A Study at the National Defense University of Malaysia

Abstract

Background: Providing appropriate teachings in the curriculum have a great impact on learning by the students. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the clinical undergraduate medical students’ preferred teaching methods provided by the medical educators. Material and Methods: This study was conducted on 89 medical students in the 4th and 5th year of the Faculty of Medicine and Defense Health, National Defense University of Malaysia, from 1st November 2019 to 31st July 2020. Each of the students was approached with a structured questionnaire for their responses to determine their preferred teaching methods. Results: Out of 89 students, 46 were male (51.7%); the mean age of the study students was 23.5 years. Among the various teaching methods, bedside teaching was the most preferred (76.4%) one followed by lectures (14.6%), tutorials (7.9%) and seminars (1.1%). 66.3% of students would use e-learnings’ uploaded teaching materials, whereas the remainder would not. Bedside demonstrations of clinical skills by the tutors were preferred by 77.5% of students. Practicing clinical skills by the students on a real patient rather than on a mannequin or a simulated patient was preferred by 94.4% of students. Regarding case discussions, problem-based learnings (PBL) were preferred by 80% of students. Conclusions: Bedside teachings, demonstrations of clinical skill by a teacher, practicing skills by the students on a real patient rather than on a simulated patient or a mannequin, and PBLs are highly preferred by the students. Adequate teaching materials uploaded in the e-learning management system provide a good source for the teachings and learnings.