Publication:

The impact of pre reading material before didactic lectures on the learning outcomes of second year medical students in Pharmacology

Background Although didactic lectures remain the primary mode of teaching in pharmacology, they often encourage passive learning. Providing pre-reading materials before lectures may enhance understanding and facilitate clinical application. This study aimed to evaluate the academic performance of second-year medical students using pre-reading materials and to compare two modes of pre-reading in pharmacology teaching.

Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among 99 MBBS students, who were provided with pre-reading material for four out of six lectures on the Central Nervous System. The materials were in the form of videos for two lectures and brief notes for two others, provided one week before the lecture. Student performance was assessed through MCQ tests conducted. Feedback obtained. Comparison was made between the performance of students with and without pre-reading material by using paired T-test.

Results Teaching with pre-reading material (Mean± SD: 10.06±3.18) significantly improved the performance of the students in the test as compared to the test in which no pre-reading material was given (4.56±2.49) which was statistically significant(p<0.001). Pre reading material with video as resource (11.18±3.73) compared with notes (8.95±4.01) was also statistically significant(p<0.001). 90% of students felt that teaching with pre-reading material improves their understanding of the subject and can be implemented in routine curriculum in future.

Conclusions Providing pre reading material can be effectively integrated into the undergraduate curriculum to make pharmacology more engaging and applicable in the clinical setting.