Effectivity of E-Learning through Whatsapp as a Teaching Learning Tool

Abstract

Introduction: WhatsApp is a free messenger application that works across multiple platform and is being widely used among undergraduate students to send multimedia messages like photos, videos, audios along with simple text messages. Aims and Objectives: To assess the affectivity of social media like WhatsApp in delivering knowledge to 4th semester MBBS students and to compare the improvement of knowledge gain through e-learning and didactic lecture. Simultaneously, perception of learners about e-learning via WhatsApp will also be collated. Material and Methods: This prospective analytical interventional study was conducted in the department of Pathology from 01.02.2015 to 31.06.2015, on 4th semester MBBS students. Two groups of students were taught the same topics by two different T-L activities i.e., through WhatsApp and via didactic lectures. Assessment of knowledge was done by giving pre and post-test questionnaire of 20 marks for each topic. Perception of e-learning through WhatsApp was done by feedback form. Observation and Results: The post test results revealed that the learners with WhatsApp as a learning tool scored in the range of 5-20 marks while those with didactic lecture scored in the range of 3-17.5 marks and had an average of 11.6 and 11.9 score respectively. The two tailed t value between the two groups is 0.635 which is not statistically significant. Technical, educational and instructional advantages of teaching learning activity via WhatsApp out pars disadvantages. Facilitator's availability and Learning anytime anywhere were top two advantages of learning through WhatsApp with 86.72% and 86.55% students agreeing to it. Message flooding, time consuming and eye strain were the other technical disadvantages observed in the present study with 63.23%, 75.28% and 68.53 students agreeing to it. Conclusion: Constant availability of facilitator and learning anytime anywhere has made WhatsApp a new and convenient tool for teaching learning activity. Though there is no significant difference between gain of knowledge from WhatsApp or didactic lectures, advantages (technical, educational or instructional) out pars the disadvantages. A few disadvantages, like message flooding and eyestrain can be overruled by making small groups and using mobiles with bigger screen. Enabling a Wi-Fi in the college campus can make its use cost effective.