Responses of female and male medical students to case-based learning programme in anatomy

This paper describes a case-based learning programme in anatomy for second-year medical students which involves initial discussions of the cases by the students in small-groups. This was done mainly by the students in each group who were encouraged to work as a team. Students' views an the programme are presented. The data suggest that the female students benefit more than the male students by taking part in rite tasks of the initial discussion sessions. The female students probably develop better communication skills than the male students and may form a better closer, working relationship with the other students in the group. They also benefit more from the review sessions in terms of these sessions serving to re-emphasize and clarify important points regarding the gross anatomy covered in other parts of rite module.