RESUMO
Objective: To investigate the impact of associating classroom learning of medical physiology with a Facebook group page in an all-women medical college of a conservative small city in Pakistan
Study Design: Qualitative interpretivist study using semi-structured interviews
Place and Duration of Study: Women Medical College Abbottabad, Pakistan, from March to December 2014
Methodology: A closed Facebook study group was established at a local medical college in Pakistan. It was used to upload learning resources and initiate discussions, coordinated with classroom lectures of physiology. Thirteen semistructured interviews were conducted with volunteer students according to a standard protocol
Results: Five major themes were identified. Facebook group is something new and exciting; it motivated self-study, research, collaborative learning and improved class attendance. Convenience of easily accessible resources allowed the students to concentrate on the lecture rather than note taking. It was easier to communicate with the instructor through Facebook than face to face. Lurkers were also learning. High achievers who had adapted to the current didactic system of teaching were less receptive of the collaborative learning and favored teaching geared towards exam preparation
Conclusion: Using social media for e-learning in undergraduate medical education can enhance the student learning experience, especially in resource-limited regions where Information and communication technology is not an integrated part of the teaching process
RESUMO
Background: Educational developers argue that the way students learn is not just based on individual characteristics, rather it is a dynamic process including personal experiences, teaching methods, assessment protocols and subject matter. We analyzed the reliability of a standard research instrument in elucidating different learner types amongst medical students
Methods: Second year MBBS students from two medical colleges in the Punjab were asked to complete the Approaches and Study Skills Inventory [ASSIST] instrument comprising of four sections. The second section consists of 52 items that assess study approaches in three different scales: Deep, Strategic and Surface Apathetic - against a Likert-type scale. Cronbach's alpha estimation was used to check the reliability of the scales and subscales
Results: The alpha values for the main scales range from 0.57 for the Surface Apathetic Approach, and 0.75 each for Deep and Strategic Approaches, indicating low and high levels of internal consistency respectively. The results for the subscales for our sample ranged from 0.51 to 0.67
Conclusions: Our alpha scores are in congruence with various international research findings, except that of Surface Apathetic Approach score. Further research is required on this variation. Furthermore, this inventory may be used for classifying students on entry into the MBBS program in order to 'adjust' teaching methods and techniques. Further follow up analysis of the same student body is expected to yield valuable research data about medical student learning practices and how they change during their formative undergraduate years