Family medicine clerkship web sites: the state of the art.
OBJECTIVE
The use of on-line syllabi to acquire information about a course, clerkship, or rotation is growing. This study investigated the number of existing family medicine clerkship Web sites with syllabi and determined their completeness and usability.


METHODS
In sping 1999, all schools with third-year family medicine clerkship Web sites were identified (n = 71) using Association of American Medical Colleges and American Academy of Family Physicians clerkship directories to identify required family medicine clerkships, followed by a Web search to identify any associated Web sites. A checklist with 11 content and 5 technical categories was developed and pilot tested. All sites were evaluated by at least two investigators. Two identifiable checklist characteristics were required to be present for a site to be identified as an on-line syllabus and included in the study.


RESULTS
Of the 71 sites initially identified, 40 were included in the study, 22 were excluded, and 9 required further review by an additional evaluator. A total of 44 sites were included in the study. The most common content features identified were instructor information, goals, overview, and requirements. Less-common features included objectives, learning resources, schedule, and grading policy.


CONCLUSIONS
A minority of family medicine clerkships have on-line syllabi. Most sites have basic information, but other relevant clerkship information is absent. New and revised family medicine clerkship on-line syllabus development would benefit from using the checklist to guide the creation of instructionally sound educational resources.
Reznich
Christopher
C
Office of Medical Education Research and Development, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824, USA. reznich@msu.edu
Shin
Jun-Young
JY
Korin
Tatum
T
Vincent
Toicha
T
D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D014481:United States