Student preferences regarding teaching methods in a drug-induced diseases and clinical toxicology course.

Objectives: To determine which teaching method in a drug-induced diseases and clinical toxicology course was preferred by students and whether their preference correlated with their learning of drug-induced diseases.

Design: Three teaching methods incorporating active-learning exercises were implemented. A survey instrument was developed to analyze students' perceptions of the active-learning methods used and how they compared to the traditional teaching method (lecture). Examination performance was then correlated to students' perceptions of various teaching methods.

Assessment: The majority of the 107 students who responded to the survey found traditional lecture significantly more helpful than active-learning methods (p=0.01 for all comparisons). None of the 3 active-learning methods were preferred over the others. No significant correlations were found between students' survey responses and examination performance.

Conclusions: Students preferred traditional lecture to other instructional methods. Learning was not influenced by the teaching method or by preference for a teaching method.