Superficial and deep learning approaches among medical students in an interdisciplinary integrated curriculum.

Introduction: Students' learning approaches have a significant impact on the success of the educational experience, and a mismatch between instructional methods and the learning approach is very likely to create an obstacle to learning. Educational institutes' understanding of students' learning approaches allows those institutes to introduce changes in their curriculum content, instructional format, and assessment methods that will allow students to adopt deep learning techniques and critical thinking. The objective of this study was to determine and compare learning approaches among medical students following an interdisciplinary integrated curriculum.

Midterm peer feedback in problem-based learning groups: the effect on individual contributions and achievement.

Even though peer process feedback is an often used tool to enhance the effectiveness of collaborative learning environments like PBL, the conditions under which it is best facilitated still need to be investigated. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of individual versus shared reflection and goal setting on students' individual contributions to the group and their academic achievement. In addition, the influence of prior knowledge on the effectiveness of peer feedback was studied.

The effect of midterm peer feedback on student functioning in problem-based tutorials.

Within Problem-Based Learning successful learning depends on the quality of cognitive, social and motivational contributions students make to the tutorial group. But at the same time, not all students in PBL automatically contribute in a high quality manner, which might impede successful group functioning. This study investigated whether peer process feedback combined with goal setting can be used to improve the quality of students' individual contributions.

Can students adequately evaluate the activities of their peers in PBL?

Background: In problem-based learning (PBL), high-quality discussions are crucial for student learning. The quality of the discussion is affected by the quality of the contributions students make during PBL tutorials.

Aim: This study investigated whether students are able to evaluate the activities of their peers in PBL groups in a reliable and valid way.

The influence of tutoring competencies on problems, group functioning and student achievement in problem-based learning.

Context: Prominent factors in problem-based learning (PBL) are the problems to be solved, tutorial group functioning and tutors' competencies. These factors mutually affect one another and largely determine whether a powerful learning environment will be created. It is a tutor's task to stimulate active, self-directed, contextual and collaborative learning and display interpersonal behaviour that is conducive to students' learning.