Lectures and collaborative working improves the performance of medical students

Snapshot: The use of short lecture classes associated with collaborative group work, which involved the elaboration of a portfolio, with well-defined modalities and objectives, improved the students’ grades and decreased the percentage of incorrect answers on tests. Most of the students believed that the collaborative work contributed to their learning about digestive physiology, and most of them reported being comfortable working in their groups, without feeling dominated by other group members.