Jigsaw technique: An innovative way to promote cooperative, self-directed learning among 2 nd -year medical undergraduates in pharmacology

Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to assess and compare the effectiveness of Jigsaw Technique and Student Seminar during self-directed learning (SDL) sessions. The secondary objective was to evaluate the perception of students towards the Jigsaw technique. Materials and Methods: Two contact sessions of SDL were planned with a gap of 7 days in between so that the students could learn at their own pace and comfort zone. Each contact session was of 2 h duration. In contact session 1, the entire batch of 200 was divided into two groups. The student seminar group served as the control, and the Jigsaw technique served as the test group. The topic ‘Acute Coronary Syndromes’ was chosen and further divided into different subtopics. Students were asked to frame learning objectives, and subtopics were assigned to both groups. Details about the two teaching methods were provided in detail. A gap of 7 days was provided for the learners to find resources, read and contact the facilitator if required for guidance. In contact session 2, a pre-test in the form of multiple-choice questions was conducted for the entire batch, following which the student seminar group made PowerPoint presentations, while the jigsaw group had a mixed group discussion, wherein two experts from each subtopic formed a group and taught peers to provide an overall picture of the topic. The facilitator monitored the peer teaching and cleared doubts, if any. Results: Pre (13.42 ± 6.17) and post-test (16.19 ± 5.32*) scores of the student seminar were compared. Similarly, pre (11.18 ± 6.36) and post-test (17.48 ± 4.40*) scores of Jigsaw were compared. Students’ performance was better in the post-test (* P < 0.0001) in both methods. However, on comparing the post-test scores of both groups, the Jigsaw method showed significant results (17.48 ± 4.40*), as compared to the student seminar (16.19 ± 5.32) ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: The Jigsaw technique is a powerful active learning method that enhances cooperative and SDL among medical undergraduates in pharmacology. Integrating the Jigsaw method into SDL sessions can significantly improve learning outcomes and prepare students for collaborative clinical practice.