ABSTRACT
Background: The new competency-based undergraduate curriculum (CBME) was implemented in India from the academic year 2019. However, there has been no clear-cut comparison on its effect on the academic performance of the students. Aim and Objective: This study aims to find the comparison between students of traditional and CBME curriculum in the subject of pharmacology based on their academic parameters. It also aims to establish comparison and correlation of academic performance with gender, home place area, and mode of learning used. We also aim to determine whether objective parameters like multiple choice question (MCQ) section of preliminary examination show any correlation with final university examination performance. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional type of study. Seventy-seven students from traditional old curriculum and 98 students from CBME new curriculum batches participated with informed consent. The data for analysis between old and new curriculum batches were done using the mark obtained in final university examination in the subject of pharmacology. Quantitative parameters, that is, total marks overall, total theory marks, total marks in practical and oral viva combined, total marks in internal assessment and MCQ marks of preliminary examination, and qualitative variables such as gender of the student, home place area, that is, rural or urban and mode of learning used (physical or physical and digital) were obtained from the participants. IBM-SPSS version 25 software was used to perform descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and Pearson’s correlation. Results: The results clearly demonstrate that the old curriculum batch of 2018 performed better than 2019 in overall as well as practical aspects of the subject. Pearson’s correlation between all the quantitative parameters, that is, total marks overall, total theory marks, total marks in practical and oral viva combined, total marks in internal assessment, and MCQ marks of prelims for the batch of 2019 showed positive correlation with each other. Conclusions: This study concludes that the old curriculum batch performed better than new curriculum batch in the subject of pharmacology. MCQ examination held in offline mode helps in better correlation with final university results as compared to online mode.
ABSTRACT
Background: Every teaching technique has its limitations and the need to evolve with changing times is required. A combination of these techniques may be useful to solve the problems that these methods have individually. However, there are no studies which provide a comparison between the three modes of teaching, that is, blackboard and Power Point presentation (PPT) combined, blackboard only and PPT only. Aim and Objectives: In this study, we aim to find out the difference between the three modes of teaching, that is, blackboard and presentation combined, blackboard only and presentation only in terms of academic performances of the students in the subject of pharmacology and the feedback received from them. Materials and Methods: The total batch of 150 students was divided into three groups of 50 students each. Each group was taught one topic through only one mode of teaching such that alternatively every group is exposed at least once to every mode of teaching. Pre-test was taken from all students before the start of the topic and post-test was taken after the end of the topic. Every group also filled a pre-validated feedback form with answers in either yes or no, at the end of the topic. The data were analyzed between the three groups in the form of percentages. One-way ANOVA test was used to find the comparison between mean values of marks scored in the tests and feedback between the three groups. Results: Blackboard and PPT combined (96.05%) received the highest positive feedback response followed by blackboard only (90.48%) and PPT only (87.42%) modes. The average scores in all the post-tests in all groups were higher than the pre-tests score;, however, the difference between them was not significant. Conclusion: In this study, we conclude that the combination of blackboard and presentation technique is the best mode of teaching to the students in the subject of pharmacology because it provides the interaction of classroom as well as the visual aid of important topics and images.