Getting used to PBL

[BeckyL]

Hey, was just wondering how all you manchester medics found PBL when you first started. Obviously, being in first year, I've only done a few cases so far so I'm still getting into it, but I'm just worried as I always seem to be trying to catch up on myself with stuff I've not done the week before, and I still have no idea what depth to go into with everything, even with the wrap-up lectures.
Also, someone in the group has suggesting dividing the ILO's up between us so we all come and report back on one area, but I'm not sure if that would be an effective way of learning. Has anyone found this to be a good way of tackling things?
Thanks for any advice

[Madimi]

I passed my first semester okay and we didn't divide up ILOs, but in the second semester we did do this and I failed! There were reasons for me failing but looking back I don't believe that dividing up ILOs worked for me - as my current PBL tutor says 'you don't assign each others exam questions so why do it with ILOs?'.
I think it's too easy to get obsessed with your own area and not go into the rest of them sufficiently.
As for always being behind with it - I'm exactly the same and I don't seem to be getting any better!!
You'll have a symposium week coming up so that might give you the opportunity to catch up a bit.

[Bambi]

Even if you divide ILOs you are still meant to do them all! It's frickin common sense. Dividing them means you just report on the ones you got given. It sort of defeats the purpose of PBL, you are meant to discuss things, if you are just skimming over all the ILOs except your specific ones you wont know enough to be able to discuss. One thing that might help is not allowing notes in PBL, then you have to learn the stuff.

[BeckyL]

Thanks guys. Thats what I'm worried about, that everyone will get hung up on their ILO and we won't have anything to discuss as a group. Will see what happens on tues anyway...

[meep]

dividing up ILOs.. hadn't even crossed my mind.. i still have some of the first weeks case to catch up on so i wouldn't worry.. it's so tempting just to study the bits that really interest you and skim over the rest though.. ahh well much prefer it to lectures! it's just really hard to gauge how much you need to do.. but i guess we'll find out if we've done enough after semester 1 test.. eek!

[NV05]

In my first semester, I never finished 'doing a case' (with the exception of case 5) before the Christmas vacation, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

In my previous experience of dividing ILOs up, it has been merely as a catalyst for discussion, not one person doing notes for everyone in the group as it is pretty much for UEA. That said, it kind of involved some members just reciting Martini/Guyton/K&C etc.