Technology-Enhanced Learning in Medical Education Collection: Latest Developments

Abstract

Technology-enhanced learning (TEL) refers to learning activities and environments that are potentially improved or enhanced with information and communication technologies (Shen and Ho, 2020; Wasson and Kirschner, 2020). TEL may be implemented in face-to-face, distance/remote and blended or hybrid modes; in various environments such as online, classrooms, workplaces, communities, and other built and natural environments; include a range of learning designs and pedagogies/andragogies; involve synchronous and asynchronous interactions amongst students, teachers, workplace staff and clients, and/or community members; and delivered with the support of various technologies (Wasson and Kirschner, 2020). To date, the Technology-Enhanced Learning in Medical Education collection, part of MedEdPublish, has received submissions relating to several technologies to support learning, including web conferencing, web 2.0, e-textbooks, e-portfolios, software, generative artificial intelligence, simulation mannequins and wearables for point-of-view video, often in combination. Learning designs included flipped classroom with interactive case discussions (Imran et al., 2022), e-portfolios (Javed et al., 2023), didactic teaching followed by demonstrations of clinical skills on a simulation mannequin (Zwaiman et al., 2023), interdisciplinary case discussions to promote interprofessional learning (Major et al., 2023), patient panels to share narratives and perspectives (Papanagnou et al., 2023), and team-based learning (Lee & Wong, 2023). In the four papers that included evaluation, participant reaction (feedback on learning activities) and/or learning (self-reported through surveys, with pre- vs post-training comparisons or at different timepoints during learning) were reported, corresponding to levels 1 and 2 of the commonly used outcomes-focused Kirkpatrick model of evaluation (Allen et al., 2022). Two papers focused on the work of health professions educators, including conducting the nominal group technique, a qualitative research method, via web conferencing (Khurshid et al., 2023); and using ChatGPT to assist with various medical education tasks (Peacock et al., 2023).