A questionnaire based study on student preparedness to web 2.0 at I MBBS entry level

Abstract

Richa Gupta, Nikhilesh Singh, Henri Balraj K.

Objective: Various studies have reported the effectiveness of online teaching vis a vis traditional methods. But hardly have they reported whether the subjects involved in their studies have adequate access and working knowledge of computer/ internet and they do not provide the exact framework to assess the preparedness of the students. Before moving on to adopting new teaching tool, it is necessary to determine whether the students are aptly prepared to accept and utilize the tool. Methodology: This project was designed to assess the preparedness of students for Web 2.0 teaching at I year MBBS entry level in a medical college using a questionnaire of 14 items to be responded on a Likert format. The data was analyzed for individual item responses and factor loadings. Results: Two predominant constructs came out as determinant of preparedness of students. In our results, students were in favour of implementation of web 2.0 teaching but most were inadequately prepared for the same. Conclusions: In previous studies, there have been conflicting results regarding the superiority of internet based teaching over traditional methods. Studies reporting the effectiveness of web 2.0 tools should also report on student preparedness for determining the actual effectiveness of the tool.