Early effects of a new problem-based clinically oriented curriculum on students' perceptions of teaching.

Objectives: To compare the course experiences of medical students in a new problem-based (PBL) undergraduate medical course with those of their peers in a conventional curriculum.
Design: Whole class questionnaire survey using a pre-validated research instrument.
Setting: University of Liverpool, UK.
Subjects: First and second year medical students
Results: New curriculum students were more satisfied with their course when compared to their conventional course peers. Problem solving, team working and motivation scores were significantly higher amongst new course (PBL) students. New course students were more anxious about clarity of objectives and standard of work required.
Conclusions: Early evidence suggests that curriculum reform from conventional teaching to a small group problem analysis programme results in improvement in student satisfaction with teaching and the development of appropriate learning skills.