The digital age: is this the future of medical education? A cross-sectional study to assess medical students' opinions about e-learning in psychiatry undergraduate medical education. (19th May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mullins, D.; Jabbar, F.; Fenlon, N.; Murphy, K. C.
• Is Part Of: Irish journal of psychological medicine. Volume 31:Number 2(2014:Jun.)
• Page Start: 89
• Page End: 96
• Publication Date: 2014-05-19
• Subjects: Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1017/ipm.2014.15
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0790-9667

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="normal"> <title> <x content-type="archive" xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <sec id="abs1" sec-type="objectives"> <title>Objectives</title> <p>The main objectives were to assess medical students' opinions about e-learning in psychiatry undergraduate medical education, and to investigate a possible relationship between learning styles and preferences for learning modalities.</p> </sec> <sec id="abs2" sec-type="general"> <title>Method</title> <p>During the academic year 2009/2010, all 231 senior Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) medical students in their penultimate year of study were invited to answer a questionnaire that was posted online on Moodle, the RCSI virtual learning environment.</p> </sec> <sec id="abs3" sec-type="results"> <title>Results</title> <p>In all, 186 students responded to the questionnaire, a response rate of 80%. Significantly more students stated a preference for live psychiatry tutorials over e-learning lectures. Students considered flexible learning, having the option of viewing material again and the ability to learn at one's own pace with e-learning lectures, to be more valuable than having faster and easier information retrieval.</p> </sec> <sec id="abs4" sec-type="conclusion"> <title>Conclusion</title> <p>Students prefer traditional in-class studying, even when they are offered a rich e-learning environment. Understanding students' learning styles has been identified as an important element for e-learning development, delivery and instruction, which can lead to improved student performance.</p> </sec> </abstract>