Smoothing Transition from High School to Medical School Through E-Learning Module

Abstract

Background: Numerous medical students feel that they are not ready to study medicine at the beginning of entering university. One way to reduce the challenges of entering the university is to provide opportunities to familiarize students with the university.Objectives: This study was conducted to design an educational e-learning module for freshman medical students to help a successful transition to university life.Methods: This study was a single-group study with a post-test design at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, within 2018-2019. The transitional e-learning module included content regarding academic integration, social integration, and information integration.The e-learning module for new medical students was implemented as a 20-day course at the beginning of their attendance at the university. After the students completed the e-Learning course or module, a questionnaire was completed to assess students’ attitudes toward the quality of the transitional e-learning module. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 22.0).Results: Out of 209 questionnaires, 135 questionnaires were returned. The findings showed that more than 65% of the students believed that the program could prepare them for academic integration into the institution. In total, the highest (8.62±1.15) and lowest (7.07±2.39) scores belonged to the "information integration” and “social integration” sections, respectively.Conclusion: The e-learning module was implemented to provide students with practical support to adapt to the university. The survey findings showed that it helped freshman medical students prepare for academic and information integration into the university.

Keywords

• curriculum
• medical education
• virtual
• transition