Evaluation of a case based learning approach in podiatric medicine

IntroductionTeaching podiatric medicine to podiatry students with relatively little clinical experience is a demanding task. The clinical presentation of podiatric pathology may seem far removed from classroom theory and the challenge to reduce the theory/practice divide is ever present.In teaching podiatric medicine to 2nd year students, I used a case-based approach to simulate problem based learning in the clinical situation. I presented a 'patient' ' pictures and text ' and then deconstructed the case to reveal the individual pathologies. I used prompt questions to facilitate the students learning and concluded with a reconstruction of the complex case. Formal evaluation of this learning and teaching approach helped to ascertain the students' perceptions of their learning.MethodAs part of routine subject evaluation, all the students in a class of 29 were asked to complete a questionnaire comprising 6 questions. The questions were focussed on the students' perceptions of the case-based learning approach and their ability to apply theory in the clinical environment. Quantitative data was derived from the questionnaire, as students were required to mark their response to any question as a point on a visual analogue scale. Qualitative feedback was also collected.ResultsMany students liked the case based approach as it helped them to link theory to practice and also to recognise patterns of pathology. Some students found this approach rather confusing, but even so, these students generally felt that case based learning would positively influence their clinical practice. DiscussionCase based learning ensures that learning is immediately relevant to practice and encourages problem solving. It motivates students to reflect on clinical practice and strengthens the links between learning and professional practice. Deconstruction helps students to grasp fundamental principles and to see the relevance of these. This facilitates the learning of more coconcepts and allows for transfer of learning to new subject areas.