Effects of Live Lecture Attendance on the Academic Achievement of Preclinical Medical Students

BackgroundLive lecture remains a ubiquitous form of knowledge delivery in preclinical medical education. However, voluntary live lecture attendance has markedly decreased at several medical schools. This case-control study examined the effect of live lecture attendance on academic achievement in selected basic science courses.MethodsCases (n=174) were defined as students with below average examination scores, and controls (n=198) were defined as students with above average examination scores. The exposure was absenteeism, which was defined as attending live lecture less than 75% of total live lecture sessions. Second-year and third-year students reported self-estimated frequency regarding live lecture attendance, and they estimated the time spent engaged in various behaviors during live lectures.ResultsAbsenteeism was identified as a significant risk factor for having below average score in preclinical medical science courses with a 2.34-fold risk (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27-4.33). Distracting behavior more than 25% of live lecture time was a factor with non-significantly increased risk for having below average score (1.36-fold risk, 95% CI: 0.86-2.13).ConclusionsAbsenteeism was compellingly associated with poorer examination performance among medical students in basic science medical courses. Preclinical medical students should be encouraged to attend live lectures as often as possible.