Skip to main content
Log in

A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting

  • Published:
Advances in Health Sciences Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective: To compare the effects of active and didactic teaching strategies on learning- and process-oriented outcomes.

Design: Controlled trial.

Setting: After-hours residents' teaching session.

Participants: Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics residents at two academic medical institutions.

Interventions: We randomly assigned residents to two groups. One group received a didactic lecture on effective use of diagnostic tests; during this session, the teacher spent a full hour delivering content. The other group received the same content in a session structured to foster resident-to-resident interactions. In the latter session, the teacher spent only 30 minutes directly delivering content to residents.

Measures and Main Results: We measured residents' knowledge about and attitudes toward the session content before, immediately after, and one month after each session. We measured residents' perceptions of engagement and session value immediately after each session. We employed blinded observers who used a structured instrument to observe residents' activities during each session. Both teaching methods led to improvements in residents' scores on both knowledge and attitude assessments. The amount of improvement was not statistically different between groups. Residents in the active learning session perceived themselves, and were observed to be, more engaged with the session content and each other than residents in the didactic session. Residents in the didactic session perceived greater educational value from the session compared to residents in the active session. Conclusions: We reduced the amount of time spent in teacher-driven content delivery by 50 percent and covered the same amount of content with no detrimental effects on knowledge acquisition or attitude enhancement. Teaching strategies that foster learner-to-learner interactions will lead to more active engagement among learners, however, these learners may value the session less. Further research is needed to explore learner perceptions of the teaching process and other outcomes of active learning in medical education.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Becker, H.S., Geer, B., Hughes, E.C. & Strauss, A.L. (1961). Boys in White. Student Culture in Medical School (pp. 80-187). New Brunswick: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bligh, D.A. (2000). What's The Use of Lectures? San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bordage, G., Burack, J.H., Irby, D.M. & Stritter, F.T. (1998). Education in ambulatory settings: developing valid measures of educational outcomes and other research priorities. Academic Medicine 73: 743-750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brookfield, S.D. (1990). Lecturing creatively. In The Skillful Teacher (pp. 71-87). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cate, O.T. (2001). What happens to the student? The neglected variable in education outcomes research. Advances in Health Sciences Education 6: 81-88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, P. (2000). Approaches to evidence-based teaching. Medical Teacher 22: 14-21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elnicki, D.M., Halperin, A.K., Shockcor, W.T. & Aronoff, S.C. (1999). Multidisciplinary evidence-based journal clubs: curriculum design and participants' reactions. American Journal of Medical Sciences 317: 243-246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, M.L. & Ellis, P.J. (1997). Impact of an evidence-based medicine curriculum based on adult learning theory. Journal of General Internal Medicine 12: 742-750.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, M.L. (2000). Evidence-based medicine training in internal medicine residency programs: a national survey. Journal of General Internal Medicine 15: 129-133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffith, C.H. (2000). Evidence-based educational practice: the case for faculty development in teaching. American Journal of Medicine 109: 749-751.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haidet, P., O'Malley, K. & Richards, B. (2002). An initial experience with 'Team Learning' in medical education. Academic Medicine 77: 40-44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harden, R.M. & Lilley, P.M. (2000). Best evidence medical education: the simple truth. Medical Teacher 22: 117-119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T. & Smith, K.A. (2000). Constructive controversy. Change 32: 29-37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, D.C., Whitley, T.W. & Willis, S.E. (2000). A rationale for using synthetic designs in medical education research. Advances in Health Sciences Education 5: 93-103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michaelsen, L.K., Black, R.H. & Fink, L.D. (1997a). What every faculty developer needs to know about learning groups. In DeZure, D. (ed.), To Improve the Academy: Resources for Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development. Stillwater, Ok: New Forums Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michaelsen, L.K., Fink, L.D. & Knight, A. (1997b). Designing effective group activities: lessons for classroom teaching and faculty development. In DeZure, D. (ed.), To Improve the Academy: Resources for Faculty, Instructional, and Organizational Development. Stillwater, Ok: New Forums Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, P. (1998). The Courage to Teach. Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life (p. 100). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reilly, B. & Lemon, M. (1997). Evidence-based morning report: a popular new format in a large teaching hospital. American Journal of Medicine 103: 419-426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sackett, D.L., Haynes, R.B., Guyatt, G.H. & Tugwell, P. (1985). Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine, second edition (pp. 77-94). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seidel, C.L. & Richards, B.F. (2001). Application of team learning in a medical physiology course. Academic Medicine 76: 533-534.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stallings, J. & Needles, M. (1985). Stallings Observation Instrument (rev. ed.). Stanford: SRI International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sutherland T.E. & Bonwell C.C. (eds.), (1996). Using Active Learning in College Classes: A Range of Options for Faculty. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swank, P.R., Taylor, R.D., Brady, M.P. & Freiberg, H.J. (1989). Sensitivity of classroom observation systems: measuring teacher effectiveness. Journal of Experimental Education 57: 171-86.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Best Evidence Medical Education Group (BEME) (2000). Report of meeting ? 3-5 December 1999, London, UK. Medical Teacher 22: 242-245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Der Vleuten, C.P.M., Dolmans, D. & Scherpbier, A. (2000). The need for evidence in education. Medical Teacher 22: 246-250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, F.M. (2000). Lessons to be learned from evidence-based medicine: practice and promise of evidence-based medicine and evidence-based education. Medical Teacher 22: 251-259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul Haidet.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Haidet, P., Morgan, R.O., O'Malley, K. et al. A Controlled Trial of Active Versus Passive Learning Strategies in a Large Group Setting. Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract 9, 15–27 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AHSE.0000012213.62043.45

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:AHSE.0000012213.62043.45

Navigation