Medical student needs for e-learning: perspectives of the generation Z

To understand medical students' perceptions and needs for e-learning to provide e-learning tailored to the needs of the generation Z students.

A focus group interview was conducted of 30 students in various years of study from five medical schools in South Korea. Subsequently, participants were also surveyed on their perceived importance of and satisfaction with e-learning. Finally, log data from the e-learning portal were analyzed to investigate medical students' actual use of e-learning.

Participants favored multimedia learning resources and found them useful for studying subjects that could not be easily grasped by reading textbooks alone. Participants preferred video resources, and the most popular resources at the portal were also videos, where the most frequent search or browsing were on those that demonstrated physical examinations and clinical procedures. Participants particularly preferred resources recommended or created by medical faculty as credible sources of information. Participants favored short video clips and preferred them to be segmented into detailed topics. Participants also suggested more detailed categorization of resources for easier access to the contents that are highly relevant to their learning needs.

This study highlights the needs for an e-learning environment closely aligned with the practices and preferences of today's students and the importance of medical teachers' role as resource developers. Suggestions for the design and development of e-learning for more convenient browsing and searching of resources highly relevant to student's learning needs are discussed.