What can we learn from programme evaluation studies in medical education?

Evaluation of the outcomes of PBL is not a simple endeavour. Three papers that recently appeared in the medical education literature (Albanese and Mitchell, 1993; Berkson, 1993; Vernon and Blake, 1993), each reviewing a highly similar set of studies about PBL, came to quite different conclusions. The outcomes of their analyses ranged from a ringing endorsement of PBL (Vernon and Blake, 1993), through the suggestion that PBL (even given whole curriculum innovation) produces graduates who are indistinguishable from their traditional counterparts (Berkson, 1993), to concern that PBL may have adverse effects on the learner (Albanese and Mitchell, 1993). This chapter provides an overview of programme evaluation related to PBL and attempts to put these three reviews in perspective. It explores why this diversity of opinion regarding PBL exists and identifies substan- tive issues regarding programme evaluation of PBL curricula. It suggests that better theory and increased methodological rigour are needed to advance our efforts to evaluate PBL-based educational pro- grammes and improve the educational process.