Exploration of CBL combined with "Metronomic" online classroom in thoracic trauma and closed chest drainage teaching.

BACKGROUND

Traditional educational methods often fail to adequately impart practical skills or foster initiative, highlighting the need for innovative teaching approaches. Ebbinghaus’ memory curve demonstrates a pattern of rapid forgetting, suggesting that incorporating this principle into education may improve outcomes. However, research on its application in medical training remains limited. METHOD: This prospective study enrolled 43 fifth-year students from the eight-year medical program at Sun Yat-sen University’s School of Medicine. Following randomization, students were allocated to either a traditional Case-Based Learning (CBL) group or a CBL combined with Metronomic Online Classroom (CBL + MOC) group. Both groups completed courses on thoracic trauma and closed chest drainage. Baseline assessments were conducted to confirm group comparability. After the intervention, students’ exam performance and self-confidence were measured, and subjective course satisfaction was evaluated.

RESULTS

Compared with the CBL group, students in the CBL + MOC group achieved significantly higher exam scores (102.50 ± 19.66 vs. 86.58 ± 24.95, p = 0.04), particularly in mastery of fundamental knowledge (39.38 ± 7.04 vs. 33.16 ± 8.37, p = 0.02). The CBL + MOC model did not significantly improve self-confidence. However, missing offline CBL sessions was associated with reduced self-confidence (p = 0.01), especially in communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. Course satisfaction was unaffected by the teaching model.

CONCLUSION

The CBL + MOC model enhances students’ academic outcomes more effectively than traditional CBL while maintaining course satisfaction. Nonetheless, offline CBL remains vital for sustaining self-confidence, particularly in skills central to medical practice.