Title:	Pilot study to examine students’ attitudes towards case-based learning in a traditional medical undergraduate curriculum
Principal research question:	Students’ attitudes towards greater integration of clinical and preclinical teaching through the use of case-based learning.
Background:	The Cambridge Graduate Course in Medicine is a 4 year accelerated course. CGC students follow the first two years of the three year pre-clinical undergraduate course during term time and spend vacations in clinical attachments. By the end of the second year CGC have equivalent clinical experience to the standard course students and thus have earlier exposure to clinical teaching than standard course students. Because of their age and previous educational experience CGC students may have different attitudes and approaches to learning compared to standard course students. Some CGC students have expressed a preference for more enquiry based learning and more integration of clinical and preclinical teaching in certain subject areas. Preclinical and clinical teachers will liaise, plan and deliver a number of integrated teaching sessions in a core science and related clinical areas.
Methodology description:	Students’ views of existing modes of teaching will be sought and compared with their views on the integrated teaching sessions. The study will focus on students’ views and perceptions of the effectiveness of and opportunities for, learning provided by the integrated teaching.The study will employ both a questionnaire survey and focus group discussions.
Sample group description:	20 second year Cambridge Graduate Course students
Outcome measure description:	Understanding of CGC students’ attitudes towards greater integration of clinical and preclinical teaching through the use of case-based learning.
Project organisation
Start date:	1st May 2008
End date:	31st December 2020
Contact person:	Dr Thelma Quince
Contact Details:	Primary Care Research Unit Institute of Public Health University Forvie Site, Robinson Way Cambridge Cambs CB2 0SR UK Telephone: (01223) 330364 Fax: 01223 762515 E-mail: taq1000@medschl.cam.ac.uk
References and Publications