How Specific Instructional Design Elements Influence the Experience of Case-Based Collaborative Learning in a Mexican Medical School: A Mixed-Methods Study
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: Background: Case-based collaborative learning (CBCL) is an instructional method designed to promote active learning (AL). In CBCL, students learn the basics independently and apply their knowledge to case scenarios collaboratively. While theoretically the cognitive principles underlying AL in CBCL should be generalizable, implementation is shaped by local and cultural contexts. This study explored the feasibility of implementing CBCL at the University of Guadalajara, Mexico, where lectures dominate higher education and passive learning is the norm. Methods: This study used a quasi-experimental design and an explanatory mixed-method approach. Ninety-nine fourth-year medical students, enrolled in a virtual evidence-based medicine (EBM) course, were assigned into a group taught via CBCL or a comparison group taught using lectures. Both groups covered identical EBM content: framing clinical questions, database searching, critical appraisal of randomized trials and diagnostic studies, evaluating systematic reviews, and applying evidence to patient care. Students' knowledge (cognitive skills) and attitudes (affective dimensions) were assessed using course exams, survey data, and focus groups. Thematic analysis was used to explore the intervention's impact and feasibility. Results: = .72). Themes from self-determination theory were identified as underlying concepts for how specific instructional design (ID) elements influenced student perception of the CBCL intervention. Qualitative results showed how ID elements promoting autonomy (eg, clear objectives, readiness assessments), competence (eg, solving clinically relevant problems), and relatedness (eg, collaborative group work) were associated with intrinsic motivation. Conclusion: CBCL proved feasible and valued by students accustomed to lecture-based approaches. Our findings led to a conceptual model linking specific ID elements in CBCL with motivational domains. This model can guide educators seeking to adapt CBCL or similar AL approaches to their local context and inform future research.
Institutions: Harvard University, Universidad de Guadalajara, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Hospital Civil de Guadalajara, McMaster University, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Instituto Nacional de Perinatología, Universidad Panamericana, Universidad Panamericana, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
OpenAlex ID: W4415380955