Studying the effectiveness of self-directed education in learning and teaching the otolaryngology module in an integrated-based curriculum

Introduction: Self-learning is a learning process in which students harvest the enterprise, to express their learning goals, choose assets for learning, practice learning strategies, and assess the outcomes achieved. Many forms of self-learning were introduced in integrative medical curricula such as Team-based learning (TBL) and Problem-based learning (PBL). This study aims to evaluate self-learning in the otolaryngology module and determine the type of self-learning that students prefer and which of these types has a stronger impact on achieving the educational objectives of the module. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study was done on the 270 students of studied the otolaryngology module in three consecutive years representing the whole class of the fifth-year medical students along three consecutive years. A Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to measure the students' satisfaction with the current teaching and learning. Results: The obtained results revealed higher students 'satisfaction with TBL than other modalities supported by high achievement in TBL-related questions. In addition, there is a significant difference between TBL and PBL (p = .00044). No significant differences were obtained either between TBL and CBL (p = .16570) or between TBL and Seminar presentation (p = .16570). In addition, no significant correlations were obtained between PBL and CBL (p = .34677), between PBL and seminar presentation (p = .46496), and between CBL and seminar (p = .99967). Conclusion: The results showed that the highest students' satisfaction was towards TBL compared to other educational methods. These results encourage clinical educators to insert and implement TBL in most of the integrative curriculum modules, especially that of the clinical years.