Introduction: Self-diagnosis usually starts with search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo, which can lead users to confusing unsubstantiated information and people with urgent symptoms may not be directed to emergency care. It can also create anxiety and a situation where there is questioning of the treating physician. In this paper we focus on understanding and evaluating how Internet based search results have affected people's health opinions and behaviour.
Context and aimModern teaching of medicine has evolved into a beyond-the-classroom experience. Learning management systems (LMSs) have made this possible because of easy accessibility and user-friendliness. The COVID-19 lockdown further accentuated the need for this mode of education delivery. General embryology (GE) is a subject under human anatomy that does not rely on "touch-and-feel" as much as other medical subjects. Assess Google Classroom (GC) as a teaching tool to deliver an online undergraduate-level general embryology (GE) course.
Settings and designA cross-sectional study involving 211 undergraduate medical students across India.
Methods and materialA pre-and post-quiz model was adopted to evaluate the efficiency of a five-lecture course on GE. The course content was delivered via 20-minute YouTube video lectures, uploaded on GC. Lastly, student feedback regarding gadget preferences and the overall learning experience was collected. Statistical Analysis: The confidence interval was set at 95%, and a p-value = 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data were analyzed using SPSS software v.23.
ResultsWe observed a significant increase in mean quiz scores of all quizzes with increased perceived confidence in the subject, yet a high attrition rate (74.8 %). GC scored a 4.3/5 for user-friendliness, and 83.7% of students preferred cell phones for accessing GC.
ConclusionGC, with its limitations, poses a significant challenge to teaching GE online. Software updates in the future might prove it to be a competent alternative to other LMSs in the market. GC falls short in terms of providing optimum levels of assessment and interaction for learning complex topics like embryology.
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