'Net Generation' medical students: technological experiences of pre-clinical and clinical students

While institutions have been keen to integrate information and communication technologies into medical education, little is known about the technological experiences of the current cohort of so-called 'Net Generation' students.

This study investigated the technological experiences of medical students and determined whether there were differences between pre-clinical and clinical students.

In 2006, 207 pre-clinical and 161 clinical students studying medicine at a major Australian university were surveyed. The questionnaire asked students about their access to, use of and skills with an array of technologies and technology-based tools.

The results show that access to mobile phones, memory sticks, desktop computers, and broadband Internet connections was high while technologies such as PDAs were used in very low numbers. A factor analysis of students' use of 39 technology-based tools revealed nine clear activity types, including the 'standard' use of computers and mobile-phones, and the use of the Internet as a pastime activity, for podcasting and for accessing services. A comparison of pre-clinical and clinical students revealed a number of significant differences in terms of the frequency and skill with which these students use distinct technology-based tools.

The findings inform current technology-based teaching and learning activities and shed light on potential areas of educational technology development.