Students\' and Teachers’ Perceptions on Various Teaching-learning Methods of Competency-based Curriculum in Biochemistry

Background: Competency-based Medical Education (CBME) is a learner-centered approach that emphasizes developing key competencies across cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains.In 2019, India's National Medical Commission (NMC) introduced CBME into the undergraduate medical curriculum to address societal and healthcare demands.The curriculum employs various teaching methods, such as small group learning (SGL), case-based learning (CBL), and early clinical exposure (ECE).Faculty require training through Faculty Development Programs (FDPs) to adopt this approach.Despite its benefits, implementation faces challenges like resource limitations, staffing issues, and scheduling difficulties.Biochemistry remains a core subject, essential for diagnosing and treating diseases.Aims and objectives: This study aimed to assess students' and faculty members' perceptions of various teaching-learning methods (TLM) under CBME in Biochemistry.Methods: This observational study involved 170 first-year MBBS students at a tertiary care teaching institute from April 2019 to November 2020.Biochemistry was taught using various CBME-based TLM, including SGL, ECE, CBL, seminars, integrated teaching, and flipped classrooms.Feedback from students and faculty was collected using prevalidated questionnaires through SurveyMonkey software.Results: In the study, 87.34% of students were satisfied with the TLM used in Biochemistry.Methods such as SGL, seminars, ECE, and integrated teaching encouraged self-motivated learning and motivated 84.81% of students to explore topics further.Faculty members also observed greater student engagement, with 66.67% agreeing that SGL increased attentiveness.Conclusions: The shift from traditional to CBME is yielding positive results.Both students and faculty members view CBME's teaching-learning methods favorably.