E-learning in Medical Education and Blended Learning Approach

Education has evolved from a material based process, where the instructor (teacher) focused on presenting information to students, to a student (learner) centered process where students are able to learn at their own pace. Furthermore, the student’s role has changed from being a receiver to a being a learner and the instructor’s role has changed to being a mentor, guiding students to acquire knowledge and improve their learning skills [1]. The focus has shifted from a teacher-centered model to a learner-centered one, offering stronger learning motivation and interactivity. Interactivity maintains learner interest and provides a means for personalized learning and reinforcement. Evidence suggests that e-learning is more efficient in most cases because learners gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes faster than through traditional instructor-based methods. This efficiency translates into improved motivation and performance. In addition, the use of e-learning is associated with improved retention rates and efficient use of content [2]. The main goals of medical education are to equip students and graduate clinicians with the necessary medical knowledge and skills and to provide them with the strategies for their application in practice. The integration of e-learning into undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education has a significant impact on the delivery and performance of medical education [3]. The rapid evolution and growth of information and communications technologies (ICT), and the rapidly changing health care environment with advances in the biomedical sciences and in the diagnoses and management of diseases, and the delivery of health care services, have led to the development of new services and applications. Furthermore, the shift towards competency-based medical education and problem based learning, together with the increasing complexity and volume of medical content, have increased the demand for continuing education and knowledge updates. These have, in turn, created demands for new methods and approaches to medical education e.g. online continuing medical education (CME) and e-learning [3-5]. E-learning can be defined as the use of ICT or the Internet in educational activities. E-learning is also defined as learning mediated by technology, such as the Intranet, and multi-media based computer applications. E-learning systems enable students to extend their learning experiences beyond the borders of a classroom by using both online and offline learning resources. Such activities usually increase the interaction among students and between instructors and students. Because of the nature of medical education, e-learning systems require specialist design to accommodate more practical sessions, and more student involvement in medical procedures and operations. To provide medical students with a productive e-learning experience, an e-learning system should be able to provide students, not only with access to text books and lecture materials, but with both simulated and real life cases including medical history, lab results, radiology images and other patient related information. These resources improve the students’ diagnosis and intervention skills, leverage their learning outcomes and improve their learning capabilities at the same time as improving their accessibility by utilizing ICT tools [6, 7].