Medical student use of Facebook to support preparation for anatomy assessments

Abstract

The use of Facebook to support students is an emerging area of educational research. This study explored how a Facebook Page could support Year 2 medical (MBChB) students in preparation for summative anatomy assessments and alleviate test anxiety. Overall, Facebook analytics revealed that in total 49 (19.8% of entire cohort) students posted a comment in preparation for either the first (33 students) or second (34) summative anatomy assessments.18 students commented in preparation for both. In total, 155 comments were posted, with 83 for the first and 72 for the second. Of the 83 comments, 45 related to checking anatomical information, 30 were requiring assessment information and 8 wanted general course information. For the second assessment this was 52, 14 and 6, respectively. Student perceptions on usage, and impact on learning and assessment preparation were obtained via a five-point Likert-style questionnaire, with 119 students confirming they accessed the Page.Generally, students believed the Page was an effective way to support their learning, and provided information which supported their preparation with increases in perceived confidence and reductions in anxiety. There was no difference between gender, except for males who appeared to be significantly less likely to ask a question as they may be perceived to lack knowledge (P < 0.05). This study suggests that Facebook can play an important role in supporting students in preparation for anatomy assessments.

Pharmacy Students’ Informal Use of Facebook and its Perceived Role in Pharmacy Education in Jordan

“…First, an extensive review of available literature was conducted to develop the initial draft of the questionnaire. 13,22,23 Second, a panel of three pharmacy faculty members with expertise in pharmacy practice and education research performed a content validation of the developed questionnaire to ensure clarity of language, comprehension of questions to achieve study objectives, and natural flow of questions. Third, an online version of the questionnaire was designed and uploaded to SurveyPlanet ® , a professional website for developing online surveys (SurveyPlanet, LLC, Los Angeles, CA).…”

“…For example, Pickering and Bickerdike found that Facebook ® could support medical students and enhance their performance in preparation for anatomy assessments. 13 Pinilla and his colleagues noticed that posting on Facebook groups of undergraduate medical students reached its peak at the beginning of semesters and on the days before examinations.…”

How comprehensive are research studies investigating the efficacy of technology‐enhanced learning resources in anatomy education? A systematic review

“…This changing approach to anatomy education delivery is underpinned by a number of multifactorial drivers, including: the availability and logistics of cadaveric resources (McLachlan et al, ; McLachlan and Patten, ), the relevance of anatomy in a modern and expanding medical curriculum (Cottam, ; McKeown et al, ; Turney, ; Louw et al, ), increasing student numbers, decreasing available curriculum time to teach the required anatomy, and pedagogical approaches (Heylings, ; Drake et al, ; Bergman et al, ; Drake et al, ; Freeman et al, ; Chen et al, ). This change in anatomy education approach has been long‐standing and can be tracked back to the introduction of the personal computer (PC) almost 30 years ago (Trelease, ), with great strides being made since, including: two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) applications (Evans, ; Lewis et al, ; Pickering, ), eBooks (Mayfield et al, ; Stirling and Birt, ; Pickering, ; Stewart and Choudhury, ), social media (Jaffar, ; Raikos and Waidyasekara, ; Hennessy et al, ; Pickering and Bickerdike, ) lecture webcasts (Vaccani et al, ), 3D printing of replica specimens (McMenamin et al, ; O'Reilly et al, ), discussion fora (Choudhury and Gouldsborough, ; Green et al, ) massive open online courses (MOOCs; Reinders and de Jong, ; Swinnerton et al, ), and virtual and augmented reality (Moro et al, ), all becoming established mediums through which anatomy content can be delivered. This diffusion of innovation into higher education can be observed alongside changing approaches to curriculum design with the increasing use of active learning techniques (Freeman et al, ) and flipped classrooms (Chen et al, ) enabled by such TEL resources.…”

Cognitive Engagement: a More Reliable Proxy for Learning?

“…It could be postulated, therefore, that it is cognitive, rather than emotional and behavioural, engagement that is the key domain in supporting effective learning. Recent work integrating social media as a platform for students to communicate with fellow students and the course leader, revealed an interesting view of cognitive engagement [3]. Firstly, there were a group of active users who would pose questions and want to have various aspects of the curriculum explained or clarified; and secondly, another group of students who learned by reading the questions posted that a specific area of content was in fact a required component of the course.…”