COMPUTER ASSISTED LEARNING: PERCEPTION AND ACCEPTABILITY OF UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL STUDENTS IN PHARMACOLOGY EXPERIMENTS

Background: Computer assisted learning (CAL) in the classroom as well as laboratory in the medical profession has been rising in the present scenario worldwide. CAL can replace laboratory based animal experiments to a large extent and prevent the unnecessary harm or killing of animals. In India, only few studies have been conducted on CAL till date. Aims and objective of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and perception on CAL among undergraduate medical students.Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out on the medical students (MBBS-Second Professional) in the department of pharmacology at Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, Punjab, India. Feedback was obtained from 105 students who had already performed animal experiments in CAL laboratory.Results: It was seen that Computer simulated models (CSMs) are useful for undergraduate teaching (by 98.1%), CAL enrich learning experience about drug effects (by 97.1%), CSMs in CAL is user friendly (by 97.1%) and use of CSMs in teaching is ethical (by 97.1%).Conclusions: CAL is an innovative teaching and learning technique for the medical students. This is an effective mode of teaching pharmacology to the students and it also helps the students to apply their theoretical knowledge of drugs to the practical aspects (without use of animal) on computer simulated models.

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A questionnaire-based comparison of conventional teaching methods to computer assisted learning in experimental pharmacology for undergraduate medical students

International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology ◽

10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20191113 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 762

Author(s):

Ravi Kant Tiwari ◽

Sandeep K. Gupta ◽

R. K. Goel

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Teaching Methods ◽

Animal Experiments ◽

Frog Heart ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Computer Assisted Learning ◽

Experimental Pharmacology ◽

Conventional Teaching ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) for teaching experimental pharmacology is now widely accepted as alternative to animal experiments. The objective of this study was to compare the performance of undergraduate medical students by conventional teaching methods (lecture and discussion) and CAL.Methods: This was a questionnaire based observational study involving 109 MBBS students of fifth semester. The students were taught experimental pharmacology practical by both conventional methods (lecture with discussion) and computer assisted learning (CAL). Questionnaire and their filled responses by these students were taken at the end of lecture-discussion (pre-CAL) and after the CAL experiments (post-CAL), covering the same topics of experimental pharmacology. Pre-CAL and post-CAL data were assessed statistically.Results: In the pre-CAL session, only 53.39%, 47.56%, 53.39% and 49.5% of the students were having the scores above 40% in the rabbit eye, DRC and potentiation, frog heart and dog BP experiment respectively, which was increased to 77.44%, 75.48%, 75.47% and 75.48% of the students respectively in the post-CAL assessment. A statistically significant difference (p <0.05) in the performance was observed among the students in the pre-CAL and post-CAL assessment.Conclusions: CAL is a good alternative to animal experimentation. Lecture with discussion, followed by CAL experiments on the same topics, enhanced the performance of students as shown by improvement in post-CAL scores.

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Modernising Anatomy Teaching: Which Resources Do Students Rely On?

Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development ◽

10.1177/2382120520955156 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. 238212052095515

Author(s):

Billy C Leung ◽

Matthew Williams ◽

Christopher Horton ◽

Thomas DA Cosker

Keyword(s):

3D Models ◽

The Internet ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

First Year ◽

Learning Resources ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Computer Assisted Learning ◽

Post Intervention ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

The University

The way in which we learn anatomy has changed exponentially over the decades and students now have access to lecture notes, textbooks, computer-assisted programmes, and a wide variety of internet based information. This study explored which resources were the most (and least) useful for a group of first year, undergraduate, medical students, with minimal prior content exposure (aged 18 and 19 years old, n = 76), over an 18 month period. Anatomy websites were found to be the most useful (30%), followed by tutorials (20%) and lectures (19%). A total of 13% found the university computer-assisted learning (CAL) platform least useful. We subsequently enhanced our ‘urogenital’ CAL anatomy module, with inclusion of new and updated images, videos and tutorials, as well as, digital and printed 3D-models. A post-intervention survey (n = 81) showed an increase from 12% to 27% for CAL as being most useful, and a decrease from 13% to 3% as being least useful. Our results provided a snapshot of students’ preferences in studying anatomy, and highlighted the importance of digital platforms and the need for evaluating our own learning resources. We must be mindful that there is an increasing tendency for students to rely on the Internet for information, which may expose them to unfiltered and unreliable content. We conclude that educators must be aware of the spectrum of learning resources used by students, to ensure that our own Institutional eLearning platforms are optimised to meet the diverse needs of learners.

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Stigma Levels Toward Psychiatric Patients Among Medical Students—A Worldwide Online Survey Across 65 Countries

Frontiers in Psychiatry ◽

10.3389/fpsyt.2021.798909 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Mateusz Babicki ◽

Monika Małecka ◽

Krzysztof Kowalski ◽

Bogna Bogudzińska ◽

Patryk Piotrowski

Keyword(s):

Medical Students ◽

Mental Disorders ◽

Online Survey ◽

Psychiatric Patients ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Gdp Per Capita ◽

Computer Assisted ◽

Undergraduate Medical Students ◽

Everyday Functioning ◽

Per Capita

Background: According to epidemiological data, over 450 million people worldwide suffer from mental disorders, presenting one of the major challenges of modern medicine. In their everyday lives, patients, in addition to fighting the disease itself, often struggle with stigmatization. This phenomenon negatively affects both the diagnostic and therapeutic processes, as well as the patients' everyday functioning. This study aimed to assess stigma attitudes toward psychiatry and psychiatric patients among undergraduate medical students.Methods: This study used a Computer-Assisted Web Interview (CAWI), which included the standardized items from the Mental Illness: Clinicians' Attitudes (MICA-2) scale to evaluate stigma. The study was disseminated via the internet to students from medical universities from 65 countries worldwide. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. The study involved 1,216 students from these 65 countries. Most of the sample were women, and most were medical faculty students and students living in cities with more than 500,000 residents. Taking into consideration Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita and Human Development Index (HDI) variables, it can be seen that there was a prevalence of medical students from highly developed countries.Results: For the whole sample, the mean MICA-2 score was 40.5 points. Women and medical and nursing students showed more positive attitudes toward psychiatric patients. Students from countries with the highest economic development levels also achieved statistically lower MICA-2 scores. Lower score means a more positive attitude.Conclusion: Stigma toward both psychiatry and psychiatric patients is common among undergraduate medical students. Female students and respondents with a history of mental disorders in countries with high HDI and GDP per capita indices show more favorable attitudes than other medical students. There is a need to further our understanding of the problem of stigmatization, both among the general population and among medical personnel, and to implement and maintain appropriate measures to reduce stigma toward psychiatry.

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