This study explores the experience of both learners and a teacher during a team-based learning (TBL) session. TBL involves active learning that allows medical students to utilise their visual, auditory, writing and kinetic learning styles in order to strengthen their knowledge and retain it for longer, which is important with regard to applying basic sciences in clinical settings. This pilot study explored the effectiveness of TBL in learning medical genetics, and its potential to replace conventional lectures. First-year medical students (n = 194) studying at Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia, during 2014/2015 were selected to participate in this study. The topic of ‘Mutation and Mutation Analysis’ was selected, and the principles of TBL were adhered to during the study. It was found that the students' performance in a group readiness test was better than in individual readiness tests. The effectiveness of TBL was further shown in the examination, during which the marks obtained were tremendously improved. Collective commentaries from both the learners and the teacher recommended TBL as another useful tool in learning medical genetics. Implementation strategies should be advanced for the benefit of future learners and teachers.

Sufficient intake of macronutrients and micronutrients are essential for child growth. Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) however are reported to be picky eaters which may lead to malnourishment. As diet and behaviour are importantly interconnected, this study aims to determine the level of knowledge on nutrition among parents and special educators of children with ASD. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a National Autism Centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from May to August 2018. A 37-item questionnaire was self-administered to the respondents who attended series of training of trainers’ sessions. The data was the collected and analysed descriptively. A total of 209 respondents participated with 153 parents and 56 special educators of children with ASD. Only 37.9% of the parents agreed that their children’s diet contain balanced nutrition. Majority of the parents and special educators had the perception that sugar, junk food and gluten are bad for the children but they were still given due to the accessibility and convenience. The low level of knowledge among parents and special educators about the nutrition of children with ASD indicates that a measure should be taken to increase the awareness and to overcome the malnutrition among ASD children.