FINALLY, Medicine students are learning to adjust to the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) method.
This is according to Faculty of Medicine and Surgery Dean Dr. Angeles Tan-Alora, who says her office has been receiving less and less complaints from students regarding the PBL compared to the first years of its implementation.
“When we started (the PBL), I would get letters from the students or they will have their picture taken like this, to show how sad they are about it,” Tan-Alora said while depicting a sad Medicine student with both arms under her chin wearing a long face.
When the Faculty first implemented the PBL during the school year 1999-2000, it received a lot of negative feedback from its faculty and students. Letters of dissatisfaction with the new system were even forwarded to the Dean’s office.
Tan-Alora also said that at the height of the resentment no one smiled or greeted her when she walked along the hallways.
“When the PBL started, there (were) a lot of complaints and no one (wanted) to greet me. When they (saw) me they (frowned) or (avoided) me,” Tan-Alora said.
However, she said things changed when the students began to get use to the system.
But in terms of faculty satisfaction, Tan-Alora said a number of professors are still resisting the system.
“The natural tendency of man to change and the lack of confidence are some of the factors why there is still resistance. The PBL is not just a minor change, it is a major one so naturally there is much resistance,” Tan-Alora said.
In spite of the professors’ resistance, Tan-Alora said the Faculty is continuing its effort to make the faculty feel confident about their competitiveness by sending them to international meetings.
Meanwhile, the Faculty will be procuring additional computers to improve the PBL and encourage students to do better with their reports and presentations. With a report from Michael Louie C. Celis
