Video-assisted teaching versus traditional didactic lecture in undergraduate psychiatry teaching

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) To compare video-assisted teaching versus didactic lectures using the pretest and posttest. (2) To compare the feedback on the two teaching methods using a teaching feedback form. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two consecutive batches of 22 and 20 students, respectively, of the 3(rd) year medical undergraduate students posted to the department of psychiatry were included for the study. The first batch underwent video-assisted schizophrenia class and didactic lecture in bipolar disorder (BPAD). A crossover of the topics was done. The students underwent pretest and posttest for each topic using the same set of topic-specific validated multiple choice questions and also filled a prevalidated teaching feedback form for each class. RESULTS: Difference between pre- and post-test scores after all classes was significant, indicating effective gain of knowledge by both methods. Feedback analysis indicated that most students favored video-assisted teaching (total mean feedback score – 61.99) compared to the conventional method (total mean feedback score – 60.58). Increase in mean feedback scores indicates the students' preference. CONCLUSION: Both didactic and video-assisted lectures were effective in terms of knowledge gained and students' feedback. Using video assistance as a complement to lectures and not to replace the traditional methods is the way forward.