Student performance on embryology exam questions is equivalent for students instructed by a live versus a video lecture format

Abstract

Embryology is taught by lectures integrated into the anatomy course at TTUHSC School of Medicine. This year the individual who taught embryology moved to a new medical school in El Paso. As a means of dealing with this departure, all twelve lectures were videotaped digitally and placed online via WebCT. Thus the same person delivered the same lectures live in 2007 (to 149 students) and by online videos in 2008 (to 150 students). The same learning objectives and embryology questions on three exams were used both years. This allowed us to directly compare student performance. There was no significant difference in overall class performance on 29 embryology questions asked (P ≥ 0.625). This suggests that the method of lecture delivery neither helped nor hindered learning. Students also completed a survey to assess their opinions about live versus video lectures. They rated the two forms of delivery equally on a five‐point Likert scale and reported that live lectures have the advantage of allowing questions whereas online lectures could be paused and replayed. The experience suggests that scripted video lectures may be developed into valuable adjuncts to traditional methods.