Measuring learning from the TRC pharmacology E-Learning program.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT • E-Learning is increasingly used to provide medical education • Visualizing mechanisms appears to be a handy method for students to learn pharmacology WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS • E-learning tools seem to improve individual grades in pharmacology courses. The statistical information provided by the E-learning tools gives precise insight into the relationship between effort and learning AIM Clinical pharmacology at the Leiden University Medical Centre is primarily taught by the Teaching Resource Centre's (TRC) Pharmacology database. The TRC program contains schematic graphics using a unique icon language, explanation texts and feedback questions to explain pharmacology as it pertains to pathophysiology. Nearly each course of the curriculum has a chapter in the TRC database offered for self-study. Since using the TRC program is not compulsory, the question remains whether students benefit from using it. METHODS We compared the parameters of log-in attempts and time spent at each topic with students' final exam grades. Instead of looking at the regression of time spent on TRC on grade for one course, we looked at the individual student regression of time spent on TRC for different courses on grades. Spending more time using the TRC being associated with higher grades within an individual is a more powerful result than between students within a course, as better students are likely to spend more time using the TRC. RESULTS Students increasingly used the program throughout the curriculum. More importantly, the time spent using the program showed that increased TRC use by an individual student is associated with a (small) increase in grade. As expected for a noncompulsory activity, better students (those with higher than average exam scores) logged in to the TRC more frequently, but poorer students appeared to have a larger benefit. CONCLUSIONS An increase in TRC use by an individual student correlates with an increase in course grades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]