Informal Near-Peer Teaching Effects on Medical Student Pre-Clinical Learning

Informal Near-Peer Teaching (NPT), where a student at least one year senior to another instructs without faculty intervention, has long been implemented in medical curricula. However, there is a further need for formal evaluation of the effectiveness of NPT. As with traditional curriculum, continuous, evidence-based assessment and improvement are essential to maintaining excellence in medical education. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of informal NPT sessions on preclinical medical student learning. Student performance data from three pre-clerkship cohorts were analyzed and stratified by NPT exposure. Cohort performance was compared, and regression analyses assessed associations between NPT attendance and assessment outcomes. Across two preclinical blocks, students who received NPT—refined over two years—consistently outperformed those without exposure on multiple quizzes, final exams, and overall block grades. When examined separately by class year, results were mixed, with NPT exposed cohorts demonstrating improvement on some assessments and lower performance on others. When pooled, cohorts with any NPT exposure demonstrated significantly higher scores than those with no exposure. Regression analyses showed a positive, though not uniformly significant, association between NPT attendance and performance outcomes. Informal near-peer teaching was associated with improved performance in select assessments, particularly after two years of program development. These findings support the integration of NPT into preclinical curricula and highlight the importance of continued program refinement and evaluation.