Learning About Learning: A Course for Incoming Medical and Dental Undergraduates

Abstract

The two principal authors are students following a new medical curriculum which has a `core and options' format. One of the optional elements allows students considerable freedom to chose from an extensive range of projects during the second year of the course. This paper describes one of these projects in wh ich a short course was researched, designed and provided for a group of Ist year medical students. Twenty-five Ist year students attended the course, which consisted of an introductory, exercise, an informal lecture and interactive group work. The course was evaluated by pre- and postcourse questionnaires and by verbal feedback. This showed that the course was enthusiastically received and some resulted in important changes in attitude towards learning and ideas about how learning can be improved.