zma000378 Abstract Does it make the best even better? Wiener Wiener Hubert H Ao. Univ. Prof. Dr.

Medical University of Vienna, Center of Medical Education, Spitalgasse 23, A-1090 Vienna, Austria, Phone: +43-1-40160-36903, Fax: +43-1-40160-936900Medical University of Vienna, Center of Medical Education, Vienna, Austria

hubert.wiener@meduniwien.ac.at author Plass Plass Herbert H Ass. Prof. Dr.

Medical University of Vienna, Center of Medical Education, Vienna, Austria

herbert.plass@meduniwien.ac.at author März März Richard R Ao. Univ. Prof. Dr.

Medical University of Vienna, Center of Medical Education, Vienna, Austria

richard.maerz@meduniwien.ac.at author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 9. Grazer Konferenz 22.-24.09.2005, Innsbruck 20070111 20070523 engl 1860-3572 24 2 GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung GMS Z Med Ausbild 84 BeitragPurpose: An evaluation of a pilot course using Team Learning in Year I of the human medicine curriculum at the Medical University of Vienna indicated that many students feel basically comfortable with this novel instructional strategy, although a sequence of multiple learning activities should be used rather than single unit assignments (Plass H, Wiener H, Kremser K, März R. ZFHd. 2004; 5:31). Based on this and other things we learned we designed a new course.Methods: Year I of the curriculum covers two semester modules, each divided into three successive teaching blocks. In the first semester of the academic year 2004-05, Team Learning was offered to students in Block 3 - From molecule to cell - as a single 2-hour group exercise designed simply to illustrate the value and dynamics of a learning team. In the second semester, six intensive 2-hour sessions over a three day period using the Team Learning format were provided as an elective covering many learning objectives of Block 4 - Functional systems and biological regulation. The course started seven weeks after the Block, and two weeks before the final summative integrative exam at the end of Year I.Results and conclusions: The standard electronic evaluations indicated that many students were unable to handle the one-shot approach used in Block 3. By contrast, the reaction to Team Learning in the intensive course format of Block 4 was highly positive. 588 out of 1417 students entering semester two signed up for the courses. Eventually, 386 students (66%) participated in the eight parallel courses offered. In the evaluations, 90% of the 262 responding students were very satisfied and felt that Team Learning is an efficient, motivating strategy (74%), improved their specific knowledge in the field (70%) and had a positive influence on their learning attitudes (56%). Indeed, using the Year I final exam as an outcome measure, the 220 students who completed the Team Learning intensive courses of Block 4 and took the exam averaged a 25.3% higher score in the corresponding exam block, though they also had higher scores (mean 16.5%) in all other blocks. In fact, of the 220 students 31.1% passed the final exam, whereas the fraction of the total student population who passed was considerably lower (17.2%). Taken together, Team Learning in the intensive course format seems to be especially attractive for the best students of the year making them even more successful in the key exam. 0 0 0 0