Abstract
Objective:This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the impact of learning management system and WhatsApp application as educational tools on students’ academic achievement and attitude.Methods:The sample population was the students of six medical colleges of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia attending Medical Pharmacology’s semester course in Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program from September 2016 to January 2017. An exploratory approach was adopted based on a comparison between students exposed to only in-class lectures (Group-N), in-class lectures together with WhatsApp platform to disseminate the lecture slides (Group-W) and students group with in-class lectures facility blended with Learning Management System (LMS) and WhatsApp platform (Group-WL). The students’ grades were assessed using unified multiple choice questions at the end of the semester. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation (p<0.01).Results:Using learning management system (LMS) and/or WhatsApp messenger tool showed a significant positive correlation in improving students’ grades. Additionally, use of WhatsApp enhances students’ in-class attendance though statistically insignificant.Conclusion:The results are pivotal for a paradigm shift of in-class lectures and discussion to mobile learning (M-learning). M-learning through WhatsApp may be as an alternative, innovative, and collaborative tool in achieving the required goals in medical education.
Highlights
Technological innovations such as laptops and smartphones have greatly affected many aspects of our lives.[1]
The present cross-sectional analytical study divided study samples according to learning platform in three groups, which are as follows: Group-WL; comprised of students of the two medical colleges followed in-class lectures together with experimental research approach by adopting Learning Management System (LMS) in addition to WhatsApp platform to disseminate the lecture slides and to discuss the foregoing lecture
The strength of this study lies in the objective analysis of the grades which shows that students’ involvement in LMS and WhatsApp group or WhatsApp alone has a significant influence on academic performance
Summary
Technological innovations such as laptops and smartphones have greatly affected many aspects of our lives.[1] Smartphones have become an Correspondence: June 7, 2017 October 2, 2017 October 9, 2017 essential gadget these days. Since the popularity of smartphones, many social networking sites and applications were increased to great extent. Social networking is gaining momentum in the realm of communication and information. Some people consider social networking sites or applications as frivolous time wasting and distraction from work, and their effect on physical and mental health such as delaying or skipping meals, improper rest, depression and lethargic attitude cannot be over ruled.[2] Concurrently, social networking platforms such as 2go, WhatsApp Messenger, facebook, and twitter are impacting positively in learners’ progress and knowledge.[3]
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