Hand‐held devices have revolutionized communication and education in the last decade. Consequently, mobile learning (m‐learning) has become popular among medical students. Nevertheless, there are relatively few studies assessing students' learning outcomes using m‐learning devices. This observational study presents an anatomy m‐learning tool (eMed‐App), an application developed to accompany an anatomy seminar and support medical students' self‐directed learning of the skeletal system. Questionnaire data describe where, how frequently, and why students used the app. Multiple choice examination results were analyzed to evaluate whether usage of the app had an effect on test scores. The eMed‐App application was used by 77.5% of the students, mainly accessed by Android smartphones, and at students' homes (62.2%) in order to prepare themselves for seminar sessions (60.8%), or to review learning content (67%). Most commonly, students logged on for less than 15 minutes each time (67.8%). Frequent app users showed better test results on items covering eMed‐App learning content. In addition, users also achieved better results on items that were not related to the content of the app and, thus, gained better overall test results and lower failure rates. The top quartile of test performers used the eMed‐App more frequently compared to students in lower quartiles. This study demonstrated that many students, especially the high‐performing ones, made use of the eMed‐App. However, the app itself did not result in better outcomes, suggesting that top students might have been more motivated to use the app than students who were generally weak in anatomy.

Background Studies have demonstrated the importance of role models in medical education. Medical students in Germany participate in clinical placements (“Famulatur”) that last 4 months in total and represent the first real-world setting where students encounter possible role models in their clinical education. These placements are an extracurricular activity, however, and regarded as the “black box” of medical education. This study aimed to evaluate whether and how students experience role models during clinical placements, the qualities associated with potential role models and whether role model-related learning gains are relevant. Methods We recruited 96 students (mean age: 23.83 years; 75% female) in their 5th to 9th semesters at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ulm, Germany, who were participating in a clinical placement between July and October 2015. Participants completed a questionnaire at the beginning of a 5-day working week to record sociodemographic and other information and another one at the end of the week to assess various aspects of their experiences. On each of the 5 days, they completed a structured questionnaire to record their perceived role models and self-assessed learning gains. Results Role models and role modelling play an important role in clinical placements. The positive function of medical staff as role models predominated (88.4%) across all specialties. Junior doctors were the most frequently perceived role models (28.5%), followed by consultants (25.1%) and nursing staff (22.4%). The most commonly perceived positive quality was the interaction with students (16.5%), followed by team behaviour (13.6%), interaction with patients (13.6%) and professional expertise (13.4%). Students also had various kinds of learning gains such as knowledge or skills. Conclusions Although these clinical placements are extracurricular activities in Germany and their content is not regulated, they are home to a relevant amount of role modelling. Students experience the various medical professions in different roles and in a range of tasks and interactions. Defining basic learning objectives could help to increase the relevance of these placements for the medical curriculum in Germany and transfer the associated learning gains from the hidden to the open curriculum. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12909-019-1624-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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The integration of a wet lab into the block week was evaluated very positively by the students and gives them a valuable insight into the field of ophthalmology.

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