Importance of Infrastructure and Learners Readiness for Administration of E-Learning in Undergraduate Medical Education

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BACKGROUND: A combination of teaching modalities instead of a single method may enhance learning. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of integrating e-learning modules into the syllabi of clinical contents from different clinical majors at different levels. METHODS: A total of 108 undergraduate students enrolled from various clinical majors, and participated via using sub-syllabi from gynaecology courses in classroom-based sessions and e-learning modules. All students were proposed to attend pre- and post-test sessions in addition to training. Prior to being admitted to the study, all participants filled out a questionnaire regarding their attitude toward, and desire to participate in, e-learning. RESULTS: Mean exam grades increased significantly in 3 items including Abnormal uterine bleeding (from 1.28± 1.11 pretest to 2.3± 1.11 post-test), Breast masses and malignancies (from 2.61± 1.3 pretest to 3.9± 1.11 post-test) and Gestational trophoblastic Neoplasia (from 1.12± 1.04 pre-test to 3.58± 0.76 post-test).  DISCUSSION: The Results dramatically demonstrated that access to suitable infrastructure and students’ readiness are crucial perquisites for e-learning and without them, lack of collaboration and engagement of the learners significantly diminish effectiveness and usability of the learning material, despite high quality content provided within suitable environment.