The impact of educational videos on medical students’ learning

Abstract

Aim We aimed to study fourth-and sixth-year medical students’ perceptions of watching educational videos and the impact of this on their academic achievement. Methods Students` views were collected by using a self-administered questionnaire, which focused on their perceptions on the value of these videos on their learning and performance in written and practical examinations. Data was also gathered from participants on the topics and sources of the videos. Results Our sample was comprised of (287) students (response rate 77.8%, 62.2% females and 37.8% males). The majority of respondents agreed that watching educational videos helped them understand concepts (93.4%), made studying easier (94.1%) and more enjoyable (81.5%). Most students added that the videos helped them improve their performance in professional skills (90.8%) and written exams (77.1%). When we asked the participants whether or not they trust the videos, the majority responded positively (68.3%) to this query, particularly, if the source of the video is an academic institution (86.6%). Anatomy videos were the most common to be watched by forth-year students (31.03%), followed by pathology (23.65%) and physiology (23.32%). On the other hand, the majority of sixth-year students watched videos on internal medicine (37.56%), general surgery (22.62%) and obstetrics and gynaecology (12.67%). Conclusions In conclusion, most students believed that watching educational videos improved learning and examination performance.