EXPLORING THE USE OF ONLINE TECHNOLOGY FOR PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATION PREPARATION AMONG MEDICAL COLLEGE STUDENTS IN SWAT, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Objectives: To explore the use of online technology for professional examination preparation among medical college students in Swat. Material and methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted on 194 students enrolled in two medical colleges present in Swat. Data was collected through an online questionnaire and analyzed through different computer databases. The descriptive analysis of continuous variables was represented using the median, while categorical variables were presented through frequency and proportion. Results: It was observed that 37.1% of students use online technology for professional exam preparation very frequently, and 43.3% use it frequently. The different devices used by students for accessing online resources for exam preparation were reported as smartphones 83.4%, laptops 54.9%, tablets 12.4%, and computers 3.1%. 86.5% of the students reported that their exam performance improved with the use of online technology, 10.8% of students reported that their exam performance did not change with the use of online technology, and 1.5% reported that their exam performance declined with the use of online technology. Regarding the use of online technology for exam preparation effect on stress levels, 3% of the students reported that the use of online technology reduces stress significantly, 9.3% reported that it reduces stress moderately, 16% reported that it has no significant impact on stress, 45.9% reported that it increases stress moderately, while 25.8% reported that it increases stress significantly. Conclusion: The majority of medical college students utilize online technology for examination preparation, reporting improved performance. They perceive that online methods are more effective than traditional teaching. However, challenges like digital distractions, stress, and sleep disturbances accompany this shift. Despite these issues, there is evident potential for further enhancing exam preparation through increased online technology utilization.