BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Relatively little is known about the effectiveness of Web-based learning (WBL) in medical education and how it compares to conventional methods. This study examined the influence of an interactive, online curriculum in a third-year medical school family medicine clerkship on students' ability to create a management plan for a patient newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We also evaluated how the online curriculum compared to a conventionally taught curriculum. METHODS: The online course included three integrated activities: (1) self-study modules, (2) a patient case study, and (3) a moderated discussion board for posting and discussing patient care plans. The WBL curriculum was compared to small-group case-based sessions with a faculty facilitator. Students completed a test case before and after the clerkship. RESULTS: Among standard-of-care diabetic management interventions not ordered on the pretest, 38% were subsequently correctly ordered by WBL students on the posttest, versus 33% by students in the comparison group. For four out of five subgroups assessed on the case write-ups, the gain from before to after the clerkship favored the WBL group. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement among students learning online exceeded that of students learning face to face. This suggests superiority of the online method, a finding consistent with other recently published, well-controlled studies.
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Relatively little is known about the effectiveness of Web-based learning (WBL) in medical education and how it compares to conventional methods. This study examined the influence of an interactive, online curriculum in a third-year medical school family medicine clerkship on students' ability to create a management plan for a patient newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. We also evaluated how the online curriculum compared to a conventionally taught curriculum. METHODS: The online course included three integrated activities: (1) self-study modules, (2) a patient case study, and (3) a moderated discussion board for posting and discussing patient care plans. The WBL curriculum was compared to small-group case-based sessions with a faculty facilitator. Students completed a test case before and after the clerkship. RESULTS: Among standard-of-care diabetic management interventions not ordered on the pretest, 38% were subsequently correctly ordered by WBL students on the posttest, versus 33% by students in the comparison group. For four out of five subgroups assessed on the case write-ups, the gain from before to after the clerkship favored the WBL group. CONCLUSIONS: Improvement among students learning online exceeded that of students learning face to face. This suggests superiority of the online method, a finding consistent with other recently published, well-controlled studies.
Authors: Sara Schroter; Richard D Jenkins; Rebecca A Playle; Kieran M Walsh; Courtenay Probert; Thomas Kellner; Gerhard Arnhofer; David R Owens Journal: BMC Med Educ Date: 2011-06-16 Impact factor: 2.463
Authors: Sara Schroter; Dean Jenkins; Rebecca Playle; Kieran Walsh; Courtenay Probert; Thomas Kellner; Gerhard Arnhofer; David Owens Journal: Trials Date: 2009-07-30 Impact factor: 2.279
Authors: Marina Fehl; Vera Gehres; Anne-Kathrin Geier; Thomas Mundt; Kay Klinge; Thomas Frese; Markus Bleckwenn; Tobias Deutsch Journal: Med Educ Online Date: 2022-12