POSTER

Student Perception of the Learning Effectiveness of CLIPP (Computer-assisted Learning in Pediatrics Project) Cases during the Pediatric Clerkship

Leslie Fall, MD; Norman Berman, MD, Dartmouth Medical School, David Levine, MD, Morehouse School of Medicine
Chris Maloney, MD; Venus Wilke, MD. University of Utah, Mike Potts, MD, University of Illinois at Rockford, Ben Siegel, MD, Boston University, Sherilyn Smith, MD, University of Washington

Objectives: CLIPP was developed as a methodology to teach the COMSEP curriculum. To assess the value of this teaching method, we studied students' perception of the effectiveness of CLIPP cases on their learning during the pediatric clerkship, as compared to more traditional methods (i.e. didactics, textbook reading, journal articles).

Methods: CLIPP cases were integrated at 6 COMSEP CLIPP Working Group (CWG) schools in a manner consistent with the clerkships' individual curriculum. Students completed a questionnaire at the conclusion the clerkship, answering quantitative (Likert scale) and qualitative (open-ended) questions.

Preliminary Results: An average of 26 CLIPP cases (range: 15-31) have been integrated at 6 CWG schools. Qualitative evaluation of student comments (n=127) demonstrate that 80% of students found CLIPP a more effective learning tool than traditional methods; 9% found them as effective and 8% found them less effective. Specifically, CLIPP provides a solid knowledge foundation (18% of comments), stimulates active learning (13%), and engages the student (12%). A minority found CLIPP an inefficient learning method (4%) and felt it interfered with their reading time (5%). Using a Likert scale comparing CLIPP to traditional methods (1=not nearly as effective to 5= much more effective), students found the cases more useful for improving their ability to generate a differential diagnosis (4.0), for understanding how to evaluate (4.0) and manage (3.9) common pediatric problems, and for providing an appropriate general pediatric knowledge base (3.8).

Conclusion: Students report that CLIPP cases are a more effective learning tool than traditional teaching methodologies during the pediatric clerkship.