Educational resources used by 1st-year medical students

Introduction: A dynamic teaching-learning environment is being established in Indian medical institutions with the implementation of a competency-based medical education curriculum. This new curriculum may change the previous pattern of usage of educational resources by the medical students. We aimed to explore the pattern of usage of resources by the 1st-year medical students. Material and Methods: We invited 1st-year medical students of three medical colleges for an online survey. There were 17 statements in the questionnaire with 5-point Likert-type response options to collect data on the preference of type of classes, frequency of collection of notes, pattern of reading, and usage of multimedia. Results: A total of 127 (response rate 42.6%) students participated in the survey. Practical classes were the most preferred type of class followed by small group teaching. Students preferred to take notes from 1-h lectures than making notes while reading books. Traditional textbooks were the most preferred material read by the students followed by the question-answer type book. E-book downloaded on the smartphone was preferred over the online e-book. Internet searches and watching YouTube(TM) videos were popular than watching e-content provided with the textbook. Discussion and Conclusion: In the age of smartphones and the internet, traditional learning resources are still popular among 1st-year medical students. However, learning is reinforced by widely available electronic content. Hence, blended teaching with both traditional and e-resource may be considered by medical teachers.