BACKGROUND: Digital content on the internet has become an important learning resource for medical students. E-learning can play a major part in supporting learning processes. At the same time, educational content on the internet can reach a greater audience than traditional learning formats. METHODS: In addition to the curricular learning program of the surgical university hospital Würzburg, an open-access e-learning platform was established which covers the complete topic of general and visceral surgery, presented with multimedia and interactive elements. RESULTS: In the period from February 2010 to April 2018, 1,444,806 pageviews where counted on the different websites of e-learning. 350,212 users accessed the platform, 24.04% from mobile devices or tablets. CONCLUSION: With open source software it is possible to establish a modern e-learning resource. In order to maximise the reach of the e-learning beyond the own faculty, it is crucial not to use proprietary standards, but to respect a platform-independent technical design and to make the content strictly public accessible. In future development, greater emphasis should be put on personalising the e-learning experience in order to better understand the effects on the learning results. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
BACKGROUND: Digital content on the internet has become an important learning resource for medical students. E-learning can play a major part in supporting learning processes. At the same time, educational content on the internet can reach a greater audience than traditional learning formats. METHODS: In addition to the curricular learning program of the surgical university hospital Würzburg, an open-access e-learning platform was established which covers the complete topic of general and visceral surgery, presented with multimedia and interactive elements. RESULTS: In the period from February 2010 to April 2018, 1,444,806 pageviews where counted on the different websites of e-learning. 350,212 users accessed the platform, 24.04% from mobile devices or tablets. CONCLUSION: With open source software it is possible to establish a modern e-learning resource. In order to maximise the reach of the e-learning beyond the own faculty, it is crucial not to use proprietary standards, but to respect a platform-independent technical design and to make the content strictly public accessible. In future development, greater emphasis should be put on personalising the e-learning experience in order to better understand the effects on the learning results. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.