Breaking with tradition: case studies and role-play

摘要

What problems were addressed? In a UK medical school, undergraduate students have the option of undertaking a 1-year modular course in public health and primary care leading to an intercalated Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree. In 2009 the primary care tutors withdrew from teaching a module on screening and prevention. The potential loss of this module frustrated the students, who viewed it as a core part of their learning. The course leader, a public health tutor, decided to facilitate the module using an innovation. What was tried? The innovation involved changing the format of the module from one of eight specialist-led, traditional lectures to one of six case studies using a problem-based learning (PBL) methodology, role-plays, evaluations and debriefings facilitated by a generalist tutor.