Impacts of Problem-Based-Learning on Academic Learning Process of Pre-clinical Medical Students in Nile University of Nigeria

Aim: This study aims to assess the impact of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) on the academic learning process of 2nd and 3rd-year medical students in their pre-clinical years.

Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, between May 2018 and July 2018.

Methodology: Using a standardized semi-structured questionnaire, both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to obtain data from 53 undergraduate medical students (8 males, 45 females; age range 17-25 years), which were collated and analyzed using SPSS version 23.0 statistical package.

Results: The mean age of respondents was 15±2 SD. There are more females n=45 (84.9%) than males n=8 (15.1%). Out of the respondents, 50.9% agreed that PBL has helped them in learning and understanding basic medical science courses, 17.1% disagreed, while 28.6% were uncertain. When asked if PBL helped them in preparing for pre-clinical examinations, 38.2% disagree, while 32.4% said it helped them. Evidence from the in-depth interview (IDI) shows that some of the stated usefulness includes; making studying for examinations easier, boosting confidence level, a better understanding of lectures and clinical cases, among others. However, a few of them responded that it was not helpful.

Conclusion: Findings showed that the use of PBL has a significant and positive impact on the academic learning processes of pre-clinical medical students of Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja.