title: Online testing from Google Docs™ to enhance teaching of core topics in critical care: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent evidence suggests that retrieval practice, or learning by testing, may lead to more effective knowledge retention than standard educational techniques.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this pilot project was to document successful teaching of evidence-based guidelines in critical care by augmenting interactive problem-based teaching sessions with online pre- and post-testing.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a free, internet-based document collaboration system (Google Docs™) 1 to develop and share pre-tests and pre-session teaching files with the fellows. At the teaching sessions the pre-tests were reviewed interactively, and additional case-based questions were presented. One week after the sessions, the fellows were sent a post-test and a post-session survey. Results of the pre- and post-tests as well as the post-session surveys were tabulated by the document collaboration system.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean score was 54.6% (SD = 21.4%) on the pre-tests and 87.0% (SD = 15.8%) on the post-tests (p < 0.01). On a scale of 1-10, the median ratings given by the fellows were 9.5 (IQR = 9-10) for utility of the teaching sessions, 9 for utility of the test questions (IQR = 9-10), and 10 (IQR = 9-10) for utility of the teaching files.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Google Docs™ can be successfully used to integrate retrieval practice into the teaching of evidence-based guidelines in critical care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Critical Care Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA. email: akeene@montefiore.org
authors.forename: Adam B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Keene
authors.forename: Ariel L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Shiloh
authors.forename: Ronen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dudaie
authors.forename: Lewis A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Eisen
authors.forename: Richard H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Savel
mesh_terms: D003422:Critical Care; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D009519:New York City; D010865:Pilot Projects