e-Learning for enhancement of medical student performance at the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education
• Digital Learning

Background:

• Clinical competency development is crucial for medical students.
• E-learning offers potential for enhancing medical education and clinical skills.
• Assessing the impact of e-learning on clinical performance is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of student e-learning on the development of clinical competencies.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of an e-learning intervention on medical students' clinical performance.
• To assess student perceptions of e-learning and its association with readiness.

Main Methods:

• A six-month e-learning intervention was implemented for 3rd-year medical students (n=43).
• Student clinical performance was assessed using Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) in a pre- and post-test format.
• Student perceptions of e-learning effectiveness and readiness were evaluated via questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in student OSCE scores across all clinical competency domains and total scores (p < 0.001) post-intervention.
• Post-intervention OSCE scores surpassed national average scores, contrasting with pre-intervention scores below the national average.
• Student perceptions of e-learning effectiveness were neutral to slightly positive and not associated with e-learning readiness.

Conclusions:

• E-learning intervention effectively enhanced medical students' clinical performance and OSCE scores.
• While e-learning improves clinical competencies, student perceptions of its effectiveness do not directly correlate with their readiness.
• Strategies are needed to optimize student engagement with e-learning for improved clinical competency development.