Sensitizing faculty to the problem-oriented approach as an instructional method: Experience of a brief faculty development workshop

Background. The Medical Council of India has recommended that the learning process should include a problem-oriented approach and case studies in addition to other teaching– learning methods. The medical education unit at our college planned a workshop to enable the faculty to acquire the role of a facilitator; a role different from that of a conventional teacher. Methods. A core group of in-house faculty who had previous exposure to problem-based learning (PBL) and external experts planned the 2-day workshop. Participants were administered a preas well as post-test questionnaire on understanding of PBL and asked to provide feedback on their experience. A week later a second workshop on creating effective case scenarios was conducted and feedback was obtained. Results. About 92%–96% of participants felt that the PBL workshop helped them to understand the meaning of PBL, steps of PBL, importance of group dynamics and student responsibilities in PBL. Thirty-two per cent stated that the workshop did not help them in understanding the role of a good PBL facilitator. Conclusion. Two faculty development workshops created awareness and understanding of PBL and case writing for PBL among our faculty who were trained in the traditional system of teaching. However, responses from the faculty suggested that a workshop focused on developing facilitator skills would be essential to enable them to emerge as facilitators of group learning rather than providers of information.