Hands On!

Active learning vs. lecture:  What works best?  According to a recent review of students in STEM classes, those with hand-on lessons have higher test scores , while those in traditional lecture classes were more likely to fail.  As one article notes –

We know that learning is harder from the sidelines. If deep understanding is the objective, then the learner had best get out there and play the game. 

So how does that apply to medical education?  Students who are in a rural track at medical schools and students who have a preceptor in a rural region are able to interact with patients sooner – and learn more.

For example, at the Quillen College of Medicine, medical students can start working directly with patients as early as August in their first year by volunteering at the College’s free clinics.  Whereas students in urban programs may not have any patient interaction until well into their second year.

Click here for more on the new active learning research.