The Usage of E-learning Modalities Among Medical Students and its Effect on Academic Performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: This paper focuses on the usage of e-learning modalities and the effect of those modalities on academic performance. This will reveal if it is beneficial to implement e-learning in medical curricula in the context of medical colleges/universities. Highlighting the importance of utilizing different teaching and learning modalities will contribute to the improvement of academic performance of medical students. Methods: The study design is cross sectional and was conducted online by distributing a questionnaire in six universities. The required sample size was 352 students. No probability quota sampling technique was used. The variables were classified as categorical data and admitted in JMP v.13. Descriptive analysis of students' reliance on e-learning and their academic performance (GPA) was reported as mean and standard deviation. Categorical variables which revolve around the usage of e-learning modalities are given as percentages and frequencies. Results: The results revealed that the majority of students are reliant on e-learning modalities, and showed that students with higher reported GPA tend to be more reliant on e-learning with a positive attitude towards e-learning. It was shown that video platforms are the most used modalities for the understanding domain, while question banks were used more for memorization and revision domains. Conclusions: This study was conducted to observe the usage of different e-learning modalities which are yet to be evaluated by many educational institutions in Saudi Arabia. It was shown that certain types of modalities are more dominant in a specific learning domain and play a different role in the educational process.