Medical students’ views about having different types of problem-based learning tutors

Background At Norwich Medical School, Year 3 or 4 medical students taking a year out of the 5-year undergraduate MBBS degree to do a master’s degree in clinical education worked as near-peer problem-based learning (PBL) tutors for students in Year 2. Peer-assisted learning has been shown to benefit both peer tutors and tutees; in this study, experiences of students with near-peer PBL tutors were compared to students with other types of PBL tutor. Methods Using existing student evaluation data, we compared student views about PBL tutor performance, PBL group functioning, and overall satisfaction with PBL learning experience according to whether their PBL tutor/s were (1) a single near-peer tutor (later-year MB BS student), (2) a single staff tutor, (3) multiple staff tutors, or (4) multiple newly qualified doctor tutors. Results Results indicated that students’ evaluation of tutor performance was more positive for near-peer PBL tutors compared to both groups of staff tutors for most areas evaluated. Additionally, students’ evaluation of overall satisfaction with PBL was more positive for near-peer PBL tutors compared to multiple staff tutors. Tutor performance for multiple staff tutors was evaluated less positively compared to both single staff and multiple newly qualified doctor groups. But there were no statistically significant differences between the four groups regarding PBL group functioning. Conclusion Near-peer PBL tutors perform comparably or better to staff PBL tutors in salient measures of tutor performance and group functioning. We conclude that medical students find near-peer PBL tutors to be an acceptable addition to the PBL tutor workforce

Design-based learning in mechanical engineering education

Since 1997 Design-based Learning (DBL) has become the educational concept at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). There was a need at that time to develop a common view for innovation in the educational system. DBL has been modelled to serve the purposes of scientific technical education with an underlying emphasis in ‘design’ (Wijnen, 2000). The rationale behind this approach was to provide the programs with a more competence-based orientation and to educate students to meet the requirements of technical systems. The profile of DBL was thus described in terms of features (i.e. Professionalization, Activation, Co- operation, Creativity, Integration, Multidisciplinary). DBL was not implemented following a uniform curriculum model, rather it was implemented according to the needs and ideas in every specific department. For Mechanical Engineering, the DBL working methodology to solve problems is based on Problem-based Learning (PBL), whereas the method to design a product departs from on project process orientation