At the end of each major program section, ISP students also take National Board comprehensive exams. The program is especially suited for students who possess skills in self-education and time management, and the ability to learn when not dependent upon a teacher, all of which are important assets to the practicing physician. There is no controlled study, however, that shows the ISP trains students better than a lecture program in these skills. ISP involves an active learning process. Students participate more in what has been described as an active rather than passive learning process.
Students are responsible for their own learning and progress.
In this process faculty members become facilitators rather than dispensers of knowledge. ISP learning is self-paced. Within limits, students learn at their own rate. Those with strong backgrounds or well-developed study skills may proceed quickly, while others absorb material at a more leisurely pace. More time can be devoted to areas, which a particular student finds very difficult or wishes to pursue in more depth, while less time may be spent on material already learned in other courses.