"The real innovation of the New Pathway is that the biological sciences are taught in a tutorial fashion rather than a lecture fashion," says Byron J. Good, professor of medical anthropology at HMS.

Happy Students, Happy Doctors

According to Good, who interviewed students from both the traditional and the New Pathway over a four-year period, students using problem-based learning have generally had more positive medical school experiences.

"It was obvious that [the experiences] were different," Good says. "People found the New Pathway more fun."

By allowing students to spend time looking up their articles for themselves instead of reading textbooks, professors say the curriculum keeps students active.

"They are thinking and talking everyday instead of sitting there listening," Federman says.

"[The students] felt that they learned the material in a way that was close to clinical cases," Good says. "It's more practical."

Federman agrees that Harvard students enjoy learning through the New Pathway.