Pau A K, Collinson S, Croucher R
Department of Dental Public Health, St. Bartholomew's and The Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, UK.
Eur J Dent Educ. 1999 Nov;3(4):159-66. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0579.1999.tb00086.x.
To evaluate dental students' perception of 2 problem-based learning (PBL) modules in Dental Public Health implemented within the context of a traditional formal curriculum.
2 dental community modules were implemented with an 8-month interval between them on the same group of dental undergraduates; the first in Term 2 and the second in Term 4 of a 5-year 15-term dental course. At the end of each module, a semi-structured questionnaire was administered to evaluate the introductory lecture, the fieldwork activity and the organisation of the modules.
In both modules, students reported gaining insight into the subject matter, skills in teamwork, making presentations and collecting data. Some students in the 1st module needed more time to fulfil their learning objectives and had difficulty in collecting data. In the 2nd module, students reported that they lacked motivation because of the place of the module within their timetable. Opinions differed about groupwork. The content of and interest generated by fieldwork activity was rated more positively in the 2nd module than the 1st. Less positively rated in the 2nd module was the introductory lecture and module organisation.
Implementing PBL within a traditional curriculum does not offer uniform outcomes for students. Optimum group size and adequate time are necessary if students are to benefit from PBL. A consistent and continuous PBL approach should be adopted rather than a sporadic one. Further research should establish the optimum balance between PBL and traditional approaches that would allow students to maximise the benefits of both and to identify those students best equipped to benefit from a 'mixed economy' of learning.
评估牙科学生对在传统正规课程背景下实施的牙科公共卫生领域两个基于问题的学习（PBL）模块的看法。
对同一组牙科本科生实施了两个牙科社区模块，中间间隔8个月；第一个在5年制15学期牙科课程的第2学期，第二个在第4学期。在每个模块结束时，发放一份半结构化问卷，以评估入门讲座、实地考察活动以及模块的组织情况。
在两个模块中，学生们都表示对主题有了更深入的了解，获得了团队合作、做报告和收集数据的技能。第一个模块中的一些学生需要更多时间来实现他们的学习目标，并且在收集数据方面存在困难。在第二个模块中，学生们表示由于该模块在课程表中的安排，他们缺乏动力。对于小组合作，意见存在分歧。与第一个模块相比，第二个模块中实地考察活动的内容和产生的兴趣得到了更积极的评价。第二个模块中入门讲座和模块组织的评价则没那么积极。
在传统课程中实施PBL并不能为学生带来统一的结果。如果学生要从PBL中受益，最佳的小组规模和充足的时间是必要的。应该采用一致且持续的PBL方法，而不是零星的方法。进一步的研究应该确定PBL与传统方法之间的最佳平衡，以便让学生最大限度地从两者中受益，并确定那些最适合从“混合式”学习模式中受益的学生。
