Use of mobile devices in medical education

Abstract

Background: The evaluation in real-time allows the teacher to improve the deficiencies and propose immediate improvement actions that allow the student's correct acquisition of knowledge. Purpose: The objective was to implement in university students conduct real-time theoretical questionnaires in the classroom using mobile devices with real-time resolution and a later critical analysis of the results to improve the evaluation and learning process. Sample: A total of 300 university students belonging to a Medicine degree were analyzed in this study. All students have participated in this study voluntarily. Design and methods: A real-time questionnaire about Legal Medicine was conducted in the classroom using an online platform (“Live Interactive Audience Participation | Poll Everywhere” 2019). The students responded using Twitter. The students' different answers to the questionnaire's questions are visualized in real-time in the teaching classroom. A questionnaire with 13 items was developed to assess the students' opinions regarding this evaluation tool's use and capabilities. Results: Our results show that 86.5% of students considered and were very useful in using this teaching resource, which increased students' interest in the subject taught (75.3%). The use of real-time questionnaires in class showed a high degree of acceptance (77.4%) in the group of delighted students and only 37% in the group of students not very satisfied with the experience (P <0.001). A 43.8% of the student considered that the use of digital evaluation should increase in the classroom. Conclusions: This digital evaluation tool is an appropriate didactic resource to develop in the classroom since it increases student motivation and promotes the students' natural and active participation.