Use of modules to teach undergraduate medical students. Part II. Preliminary evaluation of modular teaching.

One year after using modules (hand-outs which demand active student participation) a cohort study was performed to determine their value. The 1983 examination results of the 4th-year medical class at the University of the Witwatersrand, which had used modules, were compared with the results of the 1982 class. For a series of identical questions the 1983 class average increased from 60% to 69%, and the gains occurred in all sections.