Evaluation of a hybrid peer-teaching method for undergraduate medical microbiology

Peter Daley, Jacinta Reddigan, Amanda Clarke, Stephen Shorlin

Background Microbiology in undergraduate medical education has been traditionally taught through didactic lectures. However, alternative educational strategies such as case-based learning and peer-teaching can be effective teaching methods for medical students. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented teaching strategy which integrates both peer-teaching and case-based learning into a second year microbiology course for medical students. Methods The majority of the microbiology course was taught by students under the supervision of an instructor. Students were broken up into groups of 16 and each group member had to teach a specific objective belonging to a microbiology case. Questionnaires were administered before and after the microbiology course (N=42; 71% participation) to assess whether change occurred in students perceptions and opinions of the new teaching format. Course ratings from the Memorial University Medical School Course Evaluation form were analyzed to compare the course ratings of microbiology when it was taught by lectures in 2010/2011 compared to the new hybrid format in 2011/2012. Results Students did not agree that they learn best when taught by a peer (1.49/5) or that the new teaching methods would help them gain a better understanding (1.61/5) and improve their learning (1.51/5) of the course material compared to lectures. These ratings significantly increased by the end of the course (P