Objective: Our purpose was to determine whether an interactive medical student contraceptive teaching session results in improved knowledge gain or satisfaction when compared with a standard, didactic lecture.
Study design: An interactive lecture was compared with a standard lecture among third-year medical students at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine and Medical College of Georgia. Knowledge gain was assessed by comparing correct responses to a posttest with the students' own responses to the same questions given as a pretest before the lecture. Satisfaction with the lecture was assessed on a visual analog scale. Scores and satisfaction ratings were compared within and between lecture groups.
Results: A total of 150 students participated. There was a significant increase in test scores within both the interactive and standard groups ( P < .0001 for both groups). The change in scores did not differ significantly between the groups ( P = .087). Although overall satisfaction was significantly greater with the standard lecture ( P = .004), it was high with both lectures.
Conclusion: Knowledge gain with the interactive lecture was equivalent to that with the standard lecture. Satisfaction with both learning formats was high.