Student feedback in problem based learning: a survey of 103 ®nal year students across ®ve Ontario medical schools Amish Parikh, Kylen McReelis & Brian Hodges Context Problem based learning (PBL) has become an integral component of medical curricula around the world. In Ontario, Canada, PBL has been implemented in all ®ve Ontario medical schools for several years. Although proper and timely feedback is an essential component of medical education, the types of feedback that students receive in PBL have not been systemat- ically investigated. Objectives In the ®rst multischool study of PBL in Canada, we sought to determine the types of feedback (grades, written comments, group feedback from tutor, individual feedback from tutor, peer feedback, self- assessment, no feedback) that students receive as well as their satisfaction with these different feedback modalities. Subjects and methods We surveyed a sample of 103 ®nal year medical students at the ®ve Ontario schools (University of Toronto, McMaster University, Queens University, University of Ottawa and University of Western Ontario). Subjects were recruited via E-mail and were asked to ®ll out a questionnaire. Results Many students felt that the most helpful type of feedback in PBL was individual feedback from the tutor, and indeed, individual feedback was one of the more common types of feedback provided. However, although students also indicated a strong preference for peer and group feedback, these forms of feedback were not widely reported. There were signi®cant differences between schools in the use of grades, written com- ments, self-assessment and peer feedback, as well as the immediacy of the feedback given. Conclusions Across Ontario, students do receive fre- quent feedback in PBL. However, signi®cant differ- ences exist in the types of feedback students receive, as well as the timing. Although rated highly by students at all schools, the use of peer feedback and self-assessment is limited at most, but not all, medical schools. Keywords Problem based learning, *standards; education, medical, standards; *feedback; curriculum; students, medical; questionnaires; Canada. Medical Education 2001;35:632±636 Introduction McGaghie provides a useful de®nition of feedback as `information that gives learners knowledge of the results of their study and clinical work.' 1 Health professional learners are similar to other learners in their need to continually know how well they are doing with respect to their acquisition of the knowledge and skills essential to the practice of medicine. 2 Feedback is an essential component of learning since it directs learners to the appropriate type of study or practice. Through feedback, individuals recognize areas of de®ciency in their knowledge or skills and seek to remedy these. The idea that feedback is appreciated and useful when given to health professional learners is not new. In fact, studies have shown that feedback can improve per- formance in interviewing skills, 3 verbal and written histories, 4 technical skills, 5 resident teaching ability 6 and physical examination skills. 7,8 Although the bene®ts of feedback in improving performance have been known for some time, many report that the amount and quality of timely feedback for learners in the health professions has remained less than adequate. 9,10 With a speci®c reference to medical students, Gil showed that faculty members perceive that they provide effective feedback more often than students perceive that they receive such feedback. 11 The last decade has seen many changes in medical education and the use of innovative teaching modalities. Centre for Research in Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada Correspondence: Brian Hodges, Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Eaton Wing, 8th Floor, Room 212, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4, Canada. Fax: (416) 340 4198; E-mail: brian.hodges@utoronto.ca Research papers 632 Ó Blackwell Science Ltd MEDICAL EDUCATION 2001;35:632±636