Advances in Medical Education and Practice (May 2024)
Memes Adoption in Basic Medical Science Education as a Successful Learning Model: A Mixed Method Quasi-Experimental Study
Abstract
Asmaa Sharif,1,2 Zeinab A Kasemy,3 Amal Hasaan Rayan,4 Heba Mohammed Refat Selim,5,6 Samar H A Aloshari,7 Fatma Alzahraa A Elkhamisy8 1Clinical Medical Sciences Department, College of Medicine, Dar Al Uloom University, Riyadh, 13314, Saudi Arabia; 2Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, 31111, Egypt; 3Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shibin el Kom, Egypt; 4Department of Medical Education, Medical College, Almaarefa University, Diriyah, Riyadh, 13713, Saudi Arabia; 5Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh, 13713, Saudi Arabia; 6Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls); Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 35527, Egypt; 7Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Taiz University, Taiz, Yemen; 8Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Cairo, EgyptCorrespondence: Samar H A Aloshari, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Taiz University, Taiz, P.O Box 6803, Yemen, Tel +9674232429, Email [email protected]: Basic medical sciences are of a solid abstract nature. Pharmacology is a challenging discipline delivered in all healthcare-related curricula with different aims and goals. Memes are one of aiding instructional designs proved to surge students’ performance and satisfaction with the educational process. Apart from assessing medical students’ and faculty’s perception of meme use in pharmacology learning, the current study aimed to explore the criteria of preferences and factors associated with successful memes’ adoption in this discipline as one of the most challenging basic medical sciences.Methods: A biphasic study was conducted among second-year undergraduate medical students and faculty members. The study involved assessing the perceptions of staff and students, and thematic content analysis was performed on the narrative responses of the participants to explore factors contributing to the success of learning memes. Additionally, students’ performance was also analyzed.Results: The use of memes in pharmacology was well perceived by medical students, with a mean satisfaction rating of 4.5/5 for high-achieving students and 4.33 for low-achieving students. Memes were associated with a performance surge (p = 0.022). Six themes emerged as criteria for a successful learning experience of meme use: previous scientific background on the meme topic, scenario context of the meme, learning concepts tackled by memes, the simplicity of meme’s message, the relevance of meme’s message to practice, and the modality of meme’s use in the topic of education. Regarding the perception of meme use in pharmacology learning, four themes emerged: the mode and engagement of learning experience mode, the feasibility of meme use in pharmacology learning, students’ attitudes towards further meme inclusion in their study, and the perceived impact of memes on students’ cognitive skills.Conclusion: The use of memes in pharmacology yields positive learning outcomes. A careful selection of memes is required to ensure a successful learning experience.Keywords: Memes, pharmacology education, instructional design, performance, perception
