Abstract

Background: Multidisciplinary Project-based learning promotes integration among the various subject disciplines and presents an expanded view of the subject matter. Project-based learning involves completing complex tasks that typically result in a realistic product, event, or presentation to an audience. Critical thinking is enhanced, as students search for information on a topic in great depth to create their project. Project based learning increases their confidence level, enhances creativity, communication skills, collection of information, analytical and presentation skills. While working as a team they have a preview on group dynamics and team building among themselves during project designing. There is paucity of data about the impact of multidisciplinary project-based learning in the field of medical education. This study was undertaken to study the impact of multidisciplinary project-based learning among second MBBS students.

Material and Methods: The study was approved by the institutional ethics committee. After obtaining informed consent from the students, a Multiple choice-based pretest on the 12 topics chosen for the projects was given. The topic was then allotted to the groups, the students discussed with their group facilitators and created their project and presented on the project day. The post test was given after the presentation. Feedback was obtained from the students and the facilitators. The response was collected in a feedback Questionnaire on a five‑point Likert scale. All the data were entered in Excel sheet and statistical analysis was done using SPSS software.

Results: The average marks scored in the pretest and post-test were 17.65 and 29.31 respectively. The mean difference test was 11.655 with 66.04% improvement in the score. The students opined that the project-based learning strategy was very interesting, enhanced their ability, activated their prior knowledge, helped them to elaborate and organize their knowledge.

Conclusion: The students and facilitators considered project-based learning as an interesting method for learning. Project-based learning, made the integration of different disciplines into reality. Self-directed learning was promoted. The students worked together as a team effectively

Keywords: Project-based learning; Integration; Feedback; self directed learning; knowledge; skill.