Enhancing Lecture Attendance: A Novel Approach Utilizing Clinical Case-Based Learning

Abstract

Debadatta Panigrahi, Yehia S. Mohamed and Erum Khan

There has been an observable trend indicating a decline in students' attendance in the lectures. Several reasons for this have been proposed, and various measures to mitigate this have been suggested in the past. We implemented a novel approach in our instructional strategy to address this. Real-life clinical problems relevant to the topic were integrated into the lectures, and they were deliberately excluded from the pre-lecture handouts. During the lectures, students were motivated to post questions and actively engage in peer-peer and peer-tutor discussions. To evaluate the impact of this intervention, student attendance before and after was monitored, calculated and statistically analyzed to get the average attendance. The results revealed a significant increase in the average attendance, demonstrating a statistically meaningful difference (p<0.001). Commencing classes with pertinent patient problems or real case scenarios and stimulating student participation through open-ended discussions and interactions significantly enhanced the appeal of the lectures. This intervention holds great significance in alignment with the forthcoming clerkship training of the students in the undergraduate program since it prepares them for direct patient and real clinical problem encounters. Upon analyzing the class attendance average pre- and post-implementation of the intervention, a substantial improvement in overall attendance was observed.

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