The relationship of online pre-recorded neurology mini-lectures to medical student assessment: a pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: eLearning has become an essential part of medical education. However, there is a lack of published research on student engagement with online pre-recorded mini-lectures and its relation to assessment. The aim of this pilot study is to explore the relationship between newly introduced neurology pre-recorded mini-lectures and undergraduate medical students engagement and assessment. This may encourage the wider use of mini-lectures in undergraduate medical curricula.

Methods: The engagement of medical students with 48 online pre-recorded neurology mini-lectures was assessed through a Learning Management System. To measure engagement, data was stratified according to the number of watched/downloaded mini-lectures. A point system was used (out of 5): −1 point=watching/downloading 0–10 mini-lectures, 2 points=watching/downloading 11–20 mini-lectures, 3 points=watching/downloading 21–30 minilectures, 4 points=watching/downloading 31–40 mini-lectures and, 5 points=watching/downloading 41–48 minilectures. The students’ engagement was correlated with their neurology assessments [Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), and knowledge-based assessment 10 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) and one 10-mark Short Answer Question, (SAQ)], internal medicine grade and annual grade point average (GPA) using the Pearson correlation coefficient.

Results: The mean engagement of 34, Year 5, medical students is 3.9/5. There is a significant positive correlation between engagement and internal medicine grade (r=0.35, p=0.044). There is a moderate correlation between engagement and neurology OSCE (r=0.23), annual Year 5 GPA (r=0.23), neurology knowledge-based score (r=0.22) and composite neurology knowledge/OSCE (r=0.27). The knowledge-based assessment included SAQ and MCQs: there was a moderate correlation with SAQ (r=0.30), but a weak negative correlation with the MCQs (r =-0.11). Subgroups analysis comparing the top- and low- or non- engaging students made these weaker correlations stronger.

Conclusion: This pilot study indicates a high rate of engagement with an online pre-recorded mini-lectures resource and evidence of moderate correlation between engagement and assessment. Online pre-recorded mini-lectures should be used more in delivering the curriculum contents of the clinical clerkships. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relation and the impact of the mini-lectures on assessment.