Preclinical medical education: pathology through the eyes of experiential and integrated learning

The present study aimed to assess the efficacy of applying active learning and integrated methodologies in the undergraduate Pathology medical education curriculum. Another goal was to acquire student feedback and explore the students’ motivation and perceptions on Pathology education. Our study involved two parts: (1) a quasi-experimental part, involving medical students enrolled in our Pathology course. An optional educational intervention was offered until the end of the semester, in parallel with the already established curriculum. The intervention involved integrated case-based seminars and group-based presentations of Pathology cases. We used a multivariate regression model in order to better assess the educational effectiveness of our method; and (2) a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey was held at the end of the semester. The set of questions for the intervention group mainly involved feedback about our educational method, while the questions for the control group involved questions about Pathology education in general. 348 Students completed the study. The performance of the intervention group was significantly improved at post-test. From the questionnaire, we found that intervention participants gave positive feedback, while their main reason for participation was because they already valued the Pathology professor’s teaching style. As for non-participants, even though most of them were interested in an integrated/experiential approach, more than half chose not to participate because of lack of time in general or in order to study for the final exams. Active learning and integrated methodologies seem to be of value in undergraduate Pathology teaching. However, regardless of the instructional approach, shifting the emphasis from purely summative achievement to formative, learning-centered development is essential. A successful educator must therefore not only employ innovative methods but also encourage intrinsic motivation and a deeper, more reflective approach to learning.