A problem-based course designated as 'Beginning Doctor' was given to 136 first year medical and dental students. The students were divided into small groups and under guidance of a tutor studied largely unfamiliar clinical problems presented to them as written résumés. They determined what further information they required, obtained the information on their own and described it to the oters in plenary sessions. The tutors acted as facilitators of student learning rather than as sources of information. Contrary to the widely held assumption that students in these parts of the world are passive learners, incapable of taking direct responsibility for their own learning, the staff was pleasantly surprised to see the enthusiasm and the competence with which the students tackled the problems and easily adopted the self-learning mode.