Trappler Brian
SUNY Downstate, Kingsboro Psychiatric Center, 681 Clarkson Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA.
BMC Med Educ. 2006 Sep 18;6:47. doi: 10.1186/1472-6920-6-47.
This paper reports the author's initial experience as Block Director in converting a Conventional Curriculum into a problem-based learning model (PBL) for teaching Psychopathology. As part of a wide initiative in curriculum reform, Psychopathology, which was a six-week course in the second-year medical school curriculum, became integrated into a combined Neuroscience block. The study compares curriculum conversion at State University of New York (SUNY), Downstate, with the experiences at other medical centres that have instituted similar curricula reform.
Student satisfaction with the Conventional and PBL components of the Neuroscience curriculum was compared using questionnaires and formal discussions between faculty and a body of elected students. The PBL experience in Psychopathology was also compared with that of the rest of the Neuroscience Block, which used large student groups and expert facilitators, while the Psychopathology track was limited to small groups using mentors differing widely in levels of expertise.
Students appeared to indicate a preference toward conventional lectures and large PBL groups using expert facilitators in contrast to small group mentors who were not experts. Small PBL groups with expert mentors in the Psychopathology track were also rated favorably.
The study reviews the advantages and pitfalls of the PBL system when applied to a Neuroscience curriculum on early career development. At SUNY, conversion from a Conventional model to a PBL model diverged from that proposed by Howard S. Barrows where student groups define the learning objectives and problem-solving strategies. In our model, the learning objectives were faculty-driven. The critical issue for the students appeared to be the level of faculty expertise rather than group size. Expert mentors were rated more favorably by students in fulfilling the philosophical objectives of PBL. The author, by citing the experience at other major Medical Faculties, makes a cautious attempt to address the challenges involved in the conversion of a Psychopathology curriculum into a PBL dominated format.
本文报告了作者作为教学单元主任，将传统课程转变为基于问题的学习模式（PBL）以教授精神病理学的初步经验。作为课程改革广泛举措的一部分，精神病理学这门在医学院二年级课程中为期六周的课程，被整合到一个综合的神经科学教学单元中。该研究将纽约州立大学下州分校（SUNY）的课程转变情况与其他实施了类似课程改革的医学中心的经验进行了比较。
通过问卷调查以及教师与一批当选学生之间的正式讨论，比较了学生对神经科学课程中传统部分和PBL部分的满意度。还将精神病理学中的PBL经验与神经科学教学单元其他部分的经验进行了比较，神经科学教学单元其他部分采用大型学生小组和专家引导者，而精神病理学部分则限于使用专业水平差异很大的导师的小型小组。
与非专家的小组导师相比，学生似乎更倾向于传统讲座以及由专家引导者带领的大型PBL小组。精神病理学部分由专家导师指导的小型PBL小组也得到了好评。
该研究审视了PBL系统应用于神经科学课程早期职业发展时的优点和缺陷。在纽约州立大学，从传统模式向PBL模式的转变与霍华德·S·巴罗斯提出的模式不同，在巴罗斯的模式中，学生小组确定学习目标和解决问题的策略。在我们的模式中，学习目标由教师驱动。对学生来说，关键问题似乎是教师的专业水平而非小组规模。在实现PBL的理念目标方面，专家导师得到了学生更高的评价。作者通过引用其他主要医学院的经验，谨慎地尝试应对将精神病理学课程转变为以PBL为主导的形式所涉及的挑战。
