e-Learning & Technology
Evaluation of an online medical teaching forum Rahul Ravindran, Mavin Kashyap, Lydia Lilis, Sayinthen Vivekanantham and Gokulan Phoenix, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
Social media is increasingly being used for teaching and assessment
SUMMARY Background: Social media is increasingly being used for teaching and assessment. We describe the design and implementation of a Facebook© teaching forum for medical students, and evaluate its effectiveness. Methods: A Facebook© teaching forum was set up in a London Hospital to assist with learning and assessment for undergraduate medical students. An independent online survey was used to collate their experiences. Accessibility to the forum, usefulness in stimulating peer-to-peer discussion and the use of weekly formative
assessments were evaluated using a Likert scale. Results: In total, 91 per cent (n = 68/75) of students who had Facebook© joined the teaching forum. The majority of students completed the questionnaire (n = 39/68, 57%). All students visited the teaching forum group at least once a week. A significant proportion attempted all 10 question sets (n = 16/39, 41%). Students felt more comfortable asking questions in the forum than in ward rounds and clinics (n = 22/39, 56%). The general consensus was that Facebook© could be used for educational purposes, with just 5 per cent of
students (n = 2/39) thinking that Facebook© should only be used socially and with 92 per cent believing that the forum helped to achieve the learning objectives of the curriculum (n = 36/39). Discussion: Facebook© provides a safe environment for learning and discussion amongst medical undergraduates undergoing their clinical attachments. Furthermore, through formative assessments set by a medical educator, it provides a useful revision tool for summative assessments and reinforces knowledge learned through conventional teaching methods.
274 © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2014; 11: 274–278
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INTRODUCTION
Peers were encouraged to answer each other’s questions
F
acebook© is a social networking website that recently crossed the billion user mark,1 and is increasingly used for educational purposes. Americanbased teachers of a pharmacology course recently reported their use of Facebook© to deliver part of the syllabus.2 Furthermore, a survey of 759 medical students in an Australian institution showed mixed success for the use of Facebook© as an educational tool.3 Although other fields have explored the use of Facebook© in an undergraduate educational setting, such as mathematics,4 the use of Facebook© within medicine has been limited.3 From our literature search we found no reports of Facebook© being used as an assessment tool in the field of medical education. We present the implementation and evaluation of a teaching forum for medical students on clinical attachments. This was established within a restricted-access Facebook© group specifically for the purposes of peer-to-peer teaching and formative assessment.
METHODS Ethical approval was sought from the director of clinical studies at the hospital. Establishing the teaching forum A Facebook© group was set up by a teaching fellow (GP) under a dedicated profile, in conjunction with two medical students (MK and LL). All three were administrators. The medical students were responsible for encouraging colleagues to join, ensuring adequate group privacy settings and monitoring the group for offensive or non-educational activities (both of which resulted in expulsion from the group). Furthermore, students that joined the group were advised to alter their privacy settings to restrict what
was accessible by the teaching fellow compared with their Facebook© friends. The group was private and entry was on an invitation-only basis by the administrators. The teaching forum was not mandatory for students, nor was it an official part of the university curriculum. Teaching forum Ten formative assessments (not contributing to degree results and designed to aid the learning process) were posted by the teaching fellow on a weekly basis in the style of extended matching questions (EMQs) and single best answers (SBAs) (Figure 1). An empty textbox was provided for justification for answers, along with references. Individual students submitted answers to an e-mail address created by the teaching fellow, and the correct answers were released on the forum for discussion when 60 per cent of students had replied.
The discussion board allowed students to ask questions related to topics across medicine and surgery, as well as share their experiences of their attachments. Peers were encouraged to answer each other’s questions, making reference to the highest-grade evidence where possible. The teaching fellow only interjected if incorrect information was provided or if higher grades of evidence were available. Students were explicitly told to anonymise details that could identify a certain patient, with failure to do so resulting in expulsion from the group. Evaluation of the teaching forum The individual experiences of students were evaluated retrospectively using an independent online survey (SurveyMonkey©). A Likert scale with five options was used to assess usage, accessibility and usefulness, in relation to revision towards
LEAD II, 25 mm/sec, 10 mm/mV
A 59-year-old male presents in syncope. The most appropriate management would be: a. Intravenous adenosine b. Beta-blocker c. Atropine d. Synchronised DC shock e. Digoxin
Figure 1. Example of a question written by the teaching fellow
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2014; 11: 274–278 275
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Benefits include ease of access for members whilst maintaining privacy
Table 1. Likert scale question responses Question
Strongly agree Agree n (%) n (%)
I felt comfortable posting questions on the Facebook© page
13 (33.3)
It was easier to ask questions on Facebook© compared with during clinical scenarios such as ward rounds or clinics
6 (15.4)
I didn’t like the group because I think Facebook© should only be used socially
0 (0)
Overall, the ‘Teaching Group’ supplemented my learning relevant to my exam
15 (39.5)
Neutral n (%)
15 (38.5) 16 (41)
Disagree n (%)
Strongly disagree n (%)
9 (23.1)
2 (5.1)
0 (0)
12 (30.8)
5 (12.8)
0 (0)
2 (5.1)
2 (5.1)
21 (55.3)
2 (5.3)
18 (46.2) 17 (43.6) 0 (0)
0 (0)
Table 2. Extent of Facebook© usage amongst students Question
>7 times n (%)
3–7 times n (%)
In general, which option best describes your Facebook© usage per week?
27 (69.2)
7 (18) 14 (35.9)
Roughly how often did you visit the ‘Hillingdon Teaching Group’ during the week the questions were set
summative assessments (where marks contribute to the degree result).
RESULTS Group usage In total, 76 per cent (n = 75/99) of clinical students based at the hospital had a Facebook© profile, of which 91 per cent (n = 68/75) joined the teaching forum. A total of 112 posts were made. None of the students were expelled from the group. Survey results Tables 1 and 2 provide a summary of the findings: 57 per cent (n = 39/68) of students completed the questionnaire; 69 per cent (n = 27/39) of the students who responded used Facebook© more than once a day. All students visited the teaching forum group at least once a week. Most students spent more than 30 minutes studying for the questions set in the forum
0 (0)
(n = 29/39, 74%), with 41 per cent (n = 16/39) attempting all 10 question sets. Furthermore, students agreed that they felt more comfortable asking questions on the forum than at ward rounds and clinics (n = 22/39, 56%). The general consensus was that Facebook© can be used for educational purposes (n = 35/39, 90%), and that the forum helped to achieve the learning objectives of the curriculum (n = 36/39, 92%), as a supplement to the main teaching. Finally, on speaking collectively to the entire group of students, there were no strong objections to the use of Facebook© for teaching purposes.
DISCUSSION We have demonstrated that Facebook© can be used as an effective peer-to-peer teaching and formative assessment tool in the clinical setting, as initially envisaged by the authors. Benefits include ease
2 times n (%)
1 time n (%)
Evaluation of an online medical teaching forum Rahul Ravindran, Mavin Kashyap, Lydia Lilis, Sayinthen Vivekanantham and Gokulan Phoenix, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK
Social media is increasingly being used for teaching and assessment
SUMMARY Background: Social media is increasingly being used for teaching and assessment. We describe the design and implementation of a Facebook© teaching forum for medical students, and evaluate its effectiveness. Methods: A Facebook© teaching forum was set up in a London Hospital to assist with learning and assessment for undergraduate medical students. An independent online survey was used to collate their experiences. Accessibility to the forum, usefulness in stimulating peer-to-peer discussion and the use of weekly formative
assessments were evaluated using a Likert scale. Results: In total, 91 per cent (n = 68/75) of students who had Facebook© joined the teaching forum. The majority of students completed the questionnaire (n = 39/68, 57%). All students visited the teaching forum group at least once a week. A significant proportion attempted all 10 question sets (n = 16/39, 41%). Students felt more comfortable asking questions in the forum than in ward rounds and clinics (n = 22/39, 56%). The general consensus was that Facebook© could be used for educational purposes, with just 5 per cent of
students (n = 2/39) thinking that Facebook© should only be used socially and with 92 per cent believing that the forum helped to achieve the learning objectives of the curriculum (n = 36/39). Discussion: Facebook© provides a safe environment for learning and discussion amongst medical undergraduates undergoing their clinical attachments. Furthermore, through formative assessments set by a medical educator, it provides a useful revision tool for summative assessments and reinforces knowledge learned through conventional teaching methods.
274 © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2014; 11: 274–278
tct_12139.indd 274
5/23/2014 2:12:13 PM
INTRODUCTION
Peers were encouraged to answer each other’s questions
F
acebook© is a social networking website that recently crossed the billion user mark,1 and is increasingly used for educational purposes. Americanbased teachers of a pharmacology course recently reported their use of Facebook© to deliver part of the syllabus.2 Furthermore, a survey of 759 medical students in an Australian institution showed mixed success for the use of Facebook© as an educational tool.3 Although other fields have explored the use of Facebook© in an undergraduate educational setting, such as mathematics,4 the use of Facebook© within medicine has been limited.3 From our literature search we found no reports of Facebook© being used as an assessment tool in the field of medical education. We present the implementation and evaluation of a teaching forum for medical students on clinical attachments. This was established within a restricted-access Facebook© group specifically for the purposes of peer-to-peer teaching and formative assessment.
METHODS Ethical approval was sought from the director of clinical studies at the hospital. Establishing the teaching forum A Facebook© group was set up by a teaching fellow (GP) under a dedicated profile, in conjunction with two medical students (MK and LL). All three were administrators. The medical students were responsible for encouraging colleagues to join, ensuring adequate group privacy settings and monitoring the group for offensive or non-educational activities (both of which resulted in expulsion from the group). Furthermore, students that joined the group were advised to alter their privacy settings to restrict what
was accessible by the teaching fellow compared with their Facebook© friends. The group was private and entry was on an invitation-only basis by the administrators. The teaching forum was not mandatory for students, nor was it an official part of the university curriculum. Teaching forum Ten formative assessments (not contributing to degree results and designed to aid the learning process) were posted by the teaching fellow on a weekly basis in the style of extended matching questions (EMQs) and single best answers (SBAs) (Figure 1). An empty textbox was provided for justification for answers, along with references. Individual students submitted answers to an e-mail address created by the teaching fellow, and the correct answers were released on the forum for discussion when 60 per cent of students had replied.
The discussion board allowed students to ask questions related to topics across medicine and surgery, as well as share their experiences of their attachments. Peers were encouraged to answer each other’s questions, making reference to the highest-grade evidence where possible. The teaching fellow only interjected if incorrect information was provided or if higher grades of evidence were available. Students were explicitly told to anonymise details that could identify a certain patient, with failure to do so resulting in expulsion from the group. Evaluation of the teaching forum The individual experiences of students were evaluated retrospectively using an independent online survey (SurveyMonkey©). A Likert scale with five options was used to assess usage, accessibility and usefulness, in relation to revision towards
LEAD II, 25 mm/sec, 10 mm/mV
A 59-year-old male presents in syncope. The most appropriate management would be: a. Intravenous adenosine b. Beta-blocker c. Atropine d. Synchronised DC shock e. Digoxin
Figure 1. Example of a question written by the teaching fellow
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. THE CLINICAL TEACHER 2014; 11: 274–278 275
tct_12139.indd 275
5/23/2014 2:12:14 PM
Benefits include ease of access for members whilst maintaining privacy
Table 1. Likert scale question responses Question
Strongly agree Agree n (%) n (%)
I felt comfortable posting questions on the Facebook© page
13 (33.3)
It was easier to ask questions on Facebook© compared with during clinical scenarios such as ward rounds or clinics
6 (15.4)
I didn’t like the group because I think Facebook© should only be used socially
0 (0)
Overall, the ‘Teaching Group’ supplemented my learning relevant to my exam
15 (39.5)
Neutral n (%)
15 (38.5) 16 (41)
Disagree n (%)
Strongly disagree n (%)
9 (23.1)
2 (5.1)
0 (0)
12 (30.8)
5 (12.8)
0 (0)
2 (5.1)
2 (5.1)
21 (55.3)
2 (5.3)
18 (46.2) 17 (43.6) 0 (0)
0 (0)
Table 2. Extent of Facebook© usage amongst students Question
>7 times n (%)
3–7 times n (%)
In general, which option best describes your Facebook© usage per week?
27 (69.2)
7 (18) 14 (35.9)
Roughly how often did you visit the ‘Hillingdon Teaching Group’ during the week the questions were set
summative assessments (where marks contribute to the degree result).
RESULTS Group usage In total, 76 per cent (n = 75/99) of clinical students based at the hospital had a Facebook© profile, of which 91 per cent (n = 68/75) joined the teaching forum. A total of 112 posts were made. None of the students were expelled from the group. Survey results Tables 1 and 2 provide a summary of the findings: 57 per cent (n = 39/68) of students completed the questionnaire; 69 per cent (n = 27/39) of the students who responded used Facebook© more than once a day. All students visited the teaching forum group at least once a week. Most students spent more than 30 minutes studying for the questions set in the forum
0 (0)
(n = 29/39, 74%), with 41 per cent (n = 16/39) attempting all 10 question sets. Furthermore, students agreed that they felt more comfortable asking questions on the forum than at ward rounds and clinics (n = 22/39, 56%). The general consensus was that Facebook© can be used for educational purposes (n = 35/39, 90%), and that the forum helped to achieve the learning objectives of the curriculum (n = 36/39, 92%), as a supplement to the main teaching. Finally, on speaking collectively to the entire group of students, there were no strong objections to the use of Facebook© for teaching purposes.
DISCUSSION We have demonstrated that Facebook© can be used as an effective peer-to-peer teaching and formative assessment tool in the clinical setting, as initially envisaged by the authors. Benefits include ease
2 times n (%)
1 time n (%)
