Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology
Vol. 25, Suppl. A, 2003
ISSN 0379-0355
Copyright 2003 Prous Science, S.A.
CCC: 0379-0355/2003
http://www.prous.com

Learning to Research in a Pharmacology Course: The Experience of the University of the Basque Country

J.J. Meana*

Department of Pharmacology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Basque Country, Spain

Several international organizations, governments and relevant professionals recognize that medical education must include practical work in order to meet the needs of the population and of the health systems (1-4). Among the recommendations was a shift from lectures to small-group work in undergraduate courses. This trend has generated new learner-centered teaching/learning strategies such as problem-based learning, tutorials, seminars, snowballing, free-discussion groups, role playing, games and clinical simulations.

A problem-based learning model was created in the context of a traditional lecture-based teaching model in the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the Basque Country. As part of a Basic Pharmacology course, the students were required to conduct a research project. The prototype was designed as an experimental teaching/ learning model to verify the viability of a future transition from traditional methods to more active, integrated, learner-centered and problem-based methods that better fit international recommendations. The Basic Pharmacology course is undertaken by medical students during the third academic year of the curriculum and the course program includes 65 hours of lectures and 65 hours of practical activities.

In the experimental model of practical activity, students get involved in a program that reproduces a series of steps or phases similar to those used to solve scientific problems: i) identifying a problem (the question); ii) generating one or more hypotheses; iii) collecting and processing reliable and valid data (the experiment); iv) interpreting the results; v) drawing conclusions; and vi) communicating the results and recommending further action. The students work independently in small groups, with supervision, and choose a Basic Pharmacology topic from those proposed (renal excretion of drugs, acute pain, movement disorders, etc.) to isolate a viable project, gather data and present their findings. Each project is supervised by a tutor who verifies that the methodology chosen by the group of students is feasible, that they know how to apply it properly, that it is congruous with the academic background of students, and that the whole project is scientifically coherent. The practical activities program includes presenting the results of the research experience in a Basic Pharmacology Students Congress organized at the end of the course. An exhaustive description of the experimental model of practical activities based on the development of a scientific research project can be found elsewhere (5).

In a pilot phase (academic year 1996-97), students were divided into different groups to complete the Basic Pharmacology practical activities program; some of these groups followed the experimental practical activity (n = 162 students), while the rest of groups followed a traditional model of practical activity (n = 112 students), allowing a comparative study. After the Basic Pharmacology course was finished, the groups were clustered together again and constituted a single population during the next two academic years. At this stage (academic year 1998-99), the perceptions of the students involved in both models of practical activities were compared. The information was collected in a questionnaire completed by the students two years after they had accomplished the Basic Pharmacology course practical activities. The students' opinions about the Microbiology practical program as a double control to avoid a hypothetical selection bias was also obtained.

In the academic year 1998-1999, 127 subjects (78%) of the experimental group and 75 subjects (67%) of the control group reached the fifth year of the curriculum and were eligible to complete the questionnaire. No association was revealed between being part of the experimental or control group and not reaching the fifth year of the curriculum two years after accomplishing the Basic Pharmacology course. In the experimental group, 110 valid questionnaires were collected (87% of the number eligible to be completed) and in the control group 63 (84%) were collected. A total number of 9 questionnaires did not fulfill the inclusion criteria and were invalidated.

The students' evaluation of the organization of the Basic Pharmacology practical activities showed that the experimental group perceived the experimental model of practical activity to be longer in time. No differences were observed between the experimental and the control group regarding the appropriateness of objectives, adequacy of the resources available, organization, support received and enthusiasm of the teachers.

The students' evaluation of the items related to themselves in the Basic Pharmacology practical activities showed that the experimental group perceived the experimental model of practical activity to be more difficult, to be more interesting, to give more opportunity to use their own initiative, to require a bigger effort, and to require more concentration. It was also shown that the experimental group believed that the Basic Pharmacology practical activities should be considered in the course qualifications to a larger extent. No significant differences between the experimental and the control group relating to amusement were observed.

The students' evaluation of the current and future utility and validity of the Basic Pharmacology practical activities showed that the experimental group perceived the experimental model of practical activity to be more useful for their future profession. It was also displayed that the experimental group considered that they had acquired useful skills or attitudes to a larger extent. No differences between the experimental and the control group regarding the utility for the current Basic Pharmacology course, utility for future courses, and acquisition of factual knowledge were observed.

The opinion on the Microbiology practical activities did not differ between the experimental and the control group when asked about the different items.

The results demonstrate that it is both practical and possible to implement the development of a research project as a model of teaching/learning in a Basic Pharmacology course for medical students. This option would demonstrate the viability of a transition from traditional methods of medical teaching to more active, integrated, learner-centered and problem-based methods. The integration of disciplines in a research project would promote both the learning of basic science material in a relevant, clinical context and the development of the clinical reasoning process, and it would be highly motivating. These factors represent learning conditions in a model of medical education in which the students are encouraged to integrate their knowledge of the basic sciences and apply it to their practice of medicine. The development of a research project as a part of a problem-based learning program has been successfully incorporated early in the medical curriculum in other places (6, 7). This activity seems to have a positive impact on the students and their motivation to pursue further scientific research and to develop an investigative approach to medical problems (6, 8, 9) when compared with traditional lecture-based models of teaching.

REFERENCES

1. García-Barbero, M. Medical education in the light of the World Health Organization Health for All strategy and the European Union. Med Educ 1995, 29: 3-12.

2. International standards in medical education: Assessment and accreditation of medical schools' educational programmes. A WFME position paper. The Executive Council, The World Federation for Medical Education. Med Educ 1998, 32: 549-58.

3. Rozman, C. Medical education in the threshold of the 20th century. Med Clin 1997, 108: 582-6.

4. Pedraza-Muriel, V. Las Facultades de medicina y la formación de los médicos. Educ Med 1999, 2: 53-60.

5. Tamayo, G., Santibáñez, M., Meana, J.J. De la enseñanza tradicional al aprendizaje activo basado en el desarrollo de un proyecto de investigación. Una experiencia de transición en farmacología. Educ Med 2000, 3: 25-33.

6. Harrison, A. Incorporating human subject research experience early in the medical curriculum. Med Teacher 1997, 19: 212-6.

7. Ostbye, T., Pause, C., Meissner, O. et al. Learning about clinical trials: The Western multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on the effect of caffeine on alertness and cardiovascular parameters. Med Teacher 1998, 20: 127-32.

8. McManus, I.C., Richards, P., Winder, B.C. Intercalated degrees, learning styles, and career preferences: prospective longitudinal study of UK medical students. Br Med J 1999, 319: 542-6.

9. Evered, D.C., Anderson, J., Griggs, P., Wakeford, R. The correlates of research success. Br Med J 1987, 295: 241-6.

*The activity described here represents a collective work of the teachers of the Department of Pharmacology. The study on the perceptions of students about the model was also performed by G. Tamayo and M. Santibañez.

Methods and Findings in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology Vol. 25, Suppl. A, 2003
ISSN 0379-0355 Copyright 2003 Prous Science, S.A. CCC: 0379-0355/2003 http://www.prous.com