This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

10th World Congress of Teledermatology (5)

Published on in Vol 9 (2023)

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/49651, first published .
The Effectiveness of Blended Learning for Dermatology Undergraduate Medical Students

The Effectiveness of Blended Learning for Dermatology Undergraduate Medical Students

The Effectiveness of Blended Learning for Dermatology Undergraduate Medical Students

Authors of this article:

Cristiana Silva1 Author Orcid Image ;   Cidia Vasconcellos2 Author Orcid Image ;   Murilo Barreto Souza1 Author Orcid Image ;   Juliana Dumet Fernandes1 Author Orcid Image ;   Vitoria Regina de Almeida Pedreira Rego1 Author Orcid Image
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil

    2São Paulo University, São Paulo, Brazil

    Corresponding Author:

    Cristiana Silva, PhD

    Federal University of Bahia

    Av Milton Santos, s/nº - Ondina, Salvador - BA

    Salvador, 40170-110

    Brazil

    Phone: 55 71988647377

    Email: silveira.cristiana@gmail.com


    Background: Novel internet-based applications and associated technologies have influenced all aspects of our society, ranging from areas of commerce and business to entertainment and health care. Education is no exception. In this context, this study was designed to evaluate the impact of a dermatology e-learning program on the academic performance of medical students.

    Objective: We aimed to develop a dermatology blended learning course for undergraduate medical students and compare the knowledge gained by students who took this course to those who attended traditional classes.

    Methods: This prospective study evaluated the performance of fourth-semester medical students from the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. A total of 129 students were selected and divided into 2 groups. The first group (n=57) attended traditional classes and used printed material (books and handouts). The second group (n=72) took our e-learning course and used an e-book as a supplement in a hybrid setting comprising online plus traditional learning. Each course was evaluated with multiple-choice, paper-based tests that were administered at the beginning and end of the course.

    Results: Although the precourse tests did not show any difference between the traditional and hybrid groups (mean 2.74, SD 1.25 vs mean 3.2, SD 1.22), students attending the hybrid course had better final term grades (mean 8.18, SD 1.26) than those who attended traditional classes (mean 7.11, SD 1.04). This difference was statistically significant (P<.05).

    Conclusions: The results suggest that the performance of undergraduate students who took a course supplemented with e-learning material was superior to those who attended a traditional course alone.

    Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

    iproc 2023;9:e49651

    doi:10.2196/49651

    Keywords

    dermatology; medical education; undergraduate medical education; distance education; e-learning; blended learning; hybrid course 

    Multimedia Appendix 1

    Pre- and posttest scores of students who attended the traditional and hybrid courses.

    PNG File , 100 KB
    Multimedia Appendix 2

    Boxplot illustrating students' scores for tests administered at the beginning and end of the traditional and hybrid courses.

    PNG File , 60 KB

    Edited by A Oakley; submitted 05.06.23; peer-reviewed by J Thakur; accepted 26.07.23; published 01.08.23.

    Copyright

    ©Cristiana Silva, Cidia Vasconcellos, Murilo Barreto Souza, Juliana Dumet Fernandes, Vitoria Regina de Almeida Pedreira Rego. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 01.08.2023.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.