UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' PERCEPTIONS AND PREFERENCES OF MODERN TEACHING METHODS IN PAKISTAN: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

To determine difference in the perceptions and preferences of medical and non-medical students about utilization of different teaching methods. White Board, Overhead Projector, PowerPoint presentations, Computer Assisted (CD ROM’s)/Web Based learning and Problem Based learning in order to recommend ways for their optimal utilization. Methods: Cross sectional survey was conducted on a convenient sample of 1173 undergraduate students belonging to medical and non-medical colleges from May 2011 to September 2011. The total response rate was 90.23%. Results: Over all 30.2% of the students chose PBL to be a reliable mode of teaching and 32.4 % believed that it provides a better learning experience. Majority of the students (34.8%, 43.5% and 40.8%) preferred case studies over PBL, Lectures, role playing and video tapes and believed that case studies develops the ability to understand the topic better and it is an interesting and interactive teaching method respectively. Majority of the medical students chose PBL whereas the non-medical students preferred case studies to be the best teaching method. Conclusion: Students have chosen PBL and case studies as the best teaching method and have preferred the integration of different teaching methods for better understanding