Perception of 4th year Medical students about Problem Based Learning

Objective: To describe perception of 4th year medical students about comparison of problem based learning with traditional method of teaching. Methodology: The study was conducted on March 2006 at college of medicine in Al Ahsa, King Faisal University (KFU). Students filled a self administered structured questionnaire containing 13 items, on a five point Likert scale where five equaled PBL generally better and one equaled traditional generally better. Results: Fifty two (52) out of 54 students submitted their forms as two students were absent on the day of survey. Majority of the students rated PBL better than traditional method in all 13 aspects. Improvement in team work, ability to communicate, ease of remembering a topic, interest- enthusiasm and self directed life long learning were outcomes with highest perceived benefit of PBL compared to traditional method. Conclusion: PBL was perceived as better learning method, especially in enhancing team work and communication skills