INTRODUCTION: Activation of students in lectures to enhance learning by means of questions to be answered in buzz groups has been described in pedagogic handbooks and articles. We tried the concept in three lectures in biochemistry in order to evaluate use of time, training requirements of the lecturer, and method acceptance by students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The experiment was carried out with a group of 87 medical students from a 4th semester course in biochemistry. Evaluation was made by direct observation and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from a student questionnaire. RESULTS: Buzz groups and questions took less time than anticipated and not more than ten minutes of the lecture time. The lecturer needed supervision from a colleague to function well. Acceptance of the procedure was high among the students. Qualitative data indicate that students used more time for self-studies and moved towards deep learning. DISCUSSION: We conclude that interactive lecture could be implemented without major problems in lecture based educational programmes and that it is useful for the learning of the students.
Udgivelsesdato: 2003-Sep-1