Interactive presentation digital tool Mentimeter perceived as accessible and beneficial for exam preparation by medical students

Abstract

As medical students are responsible for understanding vast medical content in a short amount of time, instructors have shifted their focus to include flipped classroom model and use innovative educational tools in class to facilitate stronger comprehension and critical thinking. While there are many audience response systems (ARS) available, the cost to the institution and students in the form of licenses, and installation of hardware can be a significant problem. Besides, faculty can show resistance in adopting these tools. Mentimeter is a web-based ARS that is low cost and is available on any device anytime. We wanted to inquire about its impact on learning in our medical students since course evaluations are usually retrievable at the end of course. By analyzing satisfaction surveys, this study looked at the utilization of Mentimeter in a medical physiology course. Medical students overwhelmingly agreed that Mentimeter is a useful tool for exam preparation in clarifying difficult concepts and appreciated an instructor-led readiness assessment several days before their first exam. We believe that the use of this application can help explain basic concepts, make office hours more constructive, and bring a paradigm shift in readiness assessment for medical students in both preclinical and clinical curriculum.