Application of PBL combined with traditional teaching in the Immunochemistry course

Abstract

Background: The problem-based learning (PBL) model has been widely carried out in many fields of medical colleges and universities. Immunochemistry as a cross-disciplinary science plays a vital role in preventing the occurrence of diseases and bridging the development of Life Science and Medicine. But now the Immunochemistry course still lacks the teaching practice in PBL. To explore the significance of PBL applied in the Immunochemistry course, the effect of the PBL model on the learning of undergraduates majoring in Chemicobiology was systematically evaluated.

Methods: The teaching objects were the undergraduates majoring in Chemicobiology from Guizhou Medical University. The PBL model was applied in the Immunochemistry course. 62 undergraduates in Grade 2018 were set as the control group and adopted the traditional expository model. 93 undergraduates in Grades 2019-2020 were separately set as the experimental groups, which adopted the PBL model based on traditional lecture-based learning. In the PBL model, six cases related to course contents were designed for the students to complete. The final exams of the undergraduates in Grades 2018-2020 were analyzed by the score ranges (< 60 points, 60-69 points, 70-79 points, and ≥ 80 points) and nonparametric test. Finally, the questionnaire survey about the teaching evaluation was performed in Grades 2019-2020.

Results: In Grades 2019 and 2020, the excellent rates (≥ 80 points), pass rates (≥ 60 points), fail rates (< 60 points), and average scores of the undergraduates were separately about 29%, 91.11% and 93.75%, 6.25%, and 8.89%, and 72.55 and 74.45 points. But in Grade 2018, the excellent rate, pass rate, failure rate, and average score of the undergraduates were separately 9.68%, 59.68%, 40.32%, and 62.55 points. By the statistical analysis, it was found that the excellent rates (χ² = 8.317, P < 0.005) and pass rates (χ² = 24.52, P < 0.0001) in Grades 2018-2020 were different, of which Grade 2020were the highest (29.17%, 93.75%) and Grade 2018 was the lowest (9.68%, 59.68%). The average score, excellent rate, and pass rate in Grade 2018 had significant differences with Grade 2019 (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0167) and Grade 2020 (P < 0.001, P < 0.0167). The questionnaire survey also showed that the student's learning interests, independent problem-solving ability, knowledge structure system, and scientific thought and teamwork awareness were enhanced. In Grades 2019 and 2020, the ICC (95% CI) of criterion validity and inter-rater reliability were separately 0.42/0.34 and 0.81/0.80 (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion: The combination of PBL and traditional expository models played positive roles in the student's learning in the Immunochemistry course.

Keywords: Final exam; Immunochemistry; PBL; Traditional expository model; Undergraduate.

Fig. 1

The proportional distribution of final exam scores in Grades 2018–2020

Fig. 2

The average scores of the final exam in Grades 2018–2020. ****, **, and ns separately denotes P < 0.0001, P < 0.001, and P > 0.05

Fig. 3

The excellent rates (≥ 80 points), pass rates (≥ 60 points) and fail rates (< 60 points) of the final exam in Grades 2018–2020