When Teaching Does Not Teach: Limits of Student Presentations in Medical Education

Abstract

In Honduras, medical education remains characterised by a persistent tension between traditional practices and evidence-based approaches. One widely adopted strategy is the delegation of teaching responsibilities to students through oral presentations, often justified by the assumption that teaching enhances learning. However, current evidence does not support its use as a primary instructional method. Unlike well-structured active learning, student-led presentations frequently lack expert guidance, feedback, and pedagogical alignment, limiting their effectiveness. From a cognitive load perspective, assigning teaching roles to novice learners increases extraneous load and hinders meaningful learning. While some contextual benefits exist for student presenters, there is no consistent evidence of improved learning outcomes among the audience. In medical education, this raises concerns regarding the consolidation of conceptual errors. Its use should therefore be restricted to structured settings and more advanced stages of training.