Dissecting the Contemporary Clerkship: Theory‐based Educational Trial of Videos Versus Lectures in Medical Student Education

Background Despite increasing use of the flipped classroom (FC) technique in undergraduate medical education, the benefit in learning outcomes over lectures is inconsistent. Best practices in preclass video design principles are rarely used, and it is unclear if videos can replace lectures in contemporary medical education. Methods We conducted a prospective quasi‐experimental controlled educational study comparing theory‐based videos to traditional lectures in a medical student curriculum. Medical students enrolled in an emergency medicine clerkship were randomly assigned to either a lecture group (LG) or a video group (VG). The slide content was identical, and the videos aligned with cognitive load theory‐based multimedia design principles. Students underwent baseline (pretest), week 1 (posttest), and end‐of‐rotation (retention) written knowledge tests and an observed structured clinical examination (OSCE) assessment. We compared scores between both groups and surveyed student attitudes and satisfaction with respect to the two learning methods. Results There were 104 students who participated in OSCE assessments (49 LG, 55 VG) and 101 students who participated in knowledge tests (48 LG, 53 VG). The difference in OSCE scores was statistically significant 1.29 (95% confidence interval = 0.23 to 2.35, t(102) = 2.43, p = 0.017), but the actual score difference was small from an educational standpoint (12.61 for LG, 11.32 for VG). All three knowledge test scores for both groups were not significantly different. Conclusions Videos based on cognitive load theory produced similar results and could replace traditional lectures for medical students. Educators contemplating a FC approach should devote their valuable classroom time to active learning methods.