Quality assurance of problem-based learning (PBL): the Hong Kong experience.

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong launched its new medical curriculum in 1997. It was an integrated and system-based curriculum, with problem-based learning (PBL) being one of its new pedagogy. This paper describes the quality assurance of the introduction of PBL.Regular PBL tutor training and case-writing workshops were conducted, with experts both locally and internationally invited to serve as trainers. The monitoring mechanisms was the use of paper questionnaires filled by both students and teachers. A group with a view to improve the process and the content of PBL studied the ratings of these evaluations.In 3 years, a total of 40 training workshops were held and, 268 tutors and 57 case-writers were initiated. Most of the teachers were convinced that PBL did work even in students who came from a didactic learning background. Extensive and continued refresher PBL workshops would be necessary.A stringent monitoring and evaluation process formed an integral part of an effective introduction of PBL in the medical curriculum.