Case-Based Group Learning Using Concept Maps to Achieve Multiple Educational Objectives and Behavioral Outcomes

Knowledge integration is an important aspect of education. In clinical education, there is an emphasis on the integration of basic medical science with clinical practice to provide a higher order of comprehension for future physicians. Also of importance in medical education is the promotion and development of professional behaviors (i.e., teamwork and interpersonal professional behavior). We set out to design and implement a weekly, 2 hour educational active learning activity for first-year preclinical medical students to foster knowledge integration and to promote professional development. As part of our case-based curriculum, we used a small-group active-learning approach involving 3 stages: concept mapping, student peer-review, and student group evaluation. Specific learning objectives and behavioral outcomes were designed to focus the learning activities. Rubrics were designed to (1) assess learners’ group generated concept maps, (2) determine effective student peer review, and (3) appropriate evaluation of group dynamics. In addition to assessment data from the rubrics, course evaluations from participating students were collected. Analysis of rubric assessments and student evaluation data confirmed that there was significant statistical achievement in critical thinking and teamwork among students. Furthermore, when analyzing concept mapping scores between the first and last case, the data displayed significant statistical improvement supporting that student groups were further integrating basic science and clinical concepts. Our concept map-based active-learning approach achieved our designated objectives and outcomes.