title: Do computers teach better? A media comparison study for case-based teaching in radiology.
abstract: A prospective study was performed to better define the role of computers in teaching radiology to medical students. Two hundred twenty-five 3rd-year students were randomly assigned to one of four groups and exposed to 10 radiology cases as well as to a voluntary weekly radiology lecture. Group A used computer-based cases with interactive elements; group B used computer-based cases without interactive elements; group C used paper-based cases with interactive elements; and group D was not exposed to the cases and served as a control group. On a multiple-choice question test, groups A, B, and C showed significant improvement (+11.2%, +15.1%, and +13.0%, respectively), whereas group D did not (+0.6%). On an image interpretation test, group A showed the most improvement (+15.7% [P <.001]), followed by group B (+15.1% [P <.01]) and group C (+10.2% [P <.05]); group D showed no significant improvement (+8.5%). No significant differences in the learning outcome were found between the two interactive groups (computer based and paper based). Computer-based teaching with case studies (with or without interactivity) improves students' problem-solving ability in radiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Klinikum Innenstadt, Ludwig Maximilians University, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336 Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maleck
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kammer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zeiler
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mangel
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schenk
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Pfeifer
mesh_terms: D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011871:Radiology / Q000193:education*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014584:User-Computer Interface