Programmed texts: success or failure? An analysis of medical students' opinions.

It is shown that German medical textbooks have sold about nine times better than programmed texts, even if they were written by the same author and on the same subject. To explore some of the reasons why programmed texts are being used so little in comparison with conventional textbooks, 4th and 5th year medical students of the University of Berne were asked to work through a short programmed text in clinical neurology and to answer questions related to several aspects of using programmed texts and other materials. The analysis of the 212 questionnaires returned (58%) indicates that almost all students considered such a learning experience as highly useful and stimulating, but only about 25 per cent had no reservations. It is concluded that programmed medical texts may be used so little because they require students to learn in a highly standardized way, and because students need additional learning resources which provide them with conceptual framework of and sufficient information about a given area.