I am a medical student, and I do not attend lectures. Given the sheer volume of information medical students are expected to learn (or memorize for examination purposes), attending a lecture can be very inefficient. Obviously, not all students share my habits, but anecdotal evidence (of my peers in medical programs across North America) suggests that a significant proportion of students (if given the option) do not attend lectures in person. Most students read the instructor’s slides (to become familiar with the learning objectives, again for examination purposes), and listen to audio or video recordings of the lectures (often at 2x normal playback speed) in the weeks leading up to an exam. Continue reading Diatribe on Medical Education →