Electronic learning can facilitate student performance in undergraduate surgical education: a prospective observational study

The computer programme prospectively records usage of the system on an individual user basis. We evaluated the utilisation of the web-based programme and its impact on class ranking changes from an entry-test evaluation to an exit examination in surgery.74.4% of students were able to access iCAL from off-campus internet access. The majority of iCAL usage (64.6%) took place during working hours (08:00–18:00) with little usage on the weekend (21.1%). Working hours usage was positively associated with improvement in class rank (P = 0.025, n = 148) but out-of hours usage was not (P = 0.306). Usage during weekdays was associated with improved rank (P = 0.04), whereas weekend usage was not (P = 0.504). There were no significant differences in usage between genders (P = 0.3). Usage of the iCAL system was positively correlated with improvement in class rank from the entry to the exit examination (P = 0.046). Students with lower ranks on entry examination, were found to use the computer system more frequently (P = 0.01).Electronic learning complements traditional teaching methods in undergraduate surgical teaching. Its is more frequently used by students achieving lower class ranking with traditional teaching methods, and this usage is associated with improvements in class ranking.Medicine has become increasingly complex and the challenges faced by the medical education system are becoming even greater. Higher levels of technical and scientific knowledge are required as well as effective communication and management skills. Acquisition of this knowledge must be achieved within a finite time period. In addition the clinical opportunities for medical students are diminishing with decreasing length of hospital stay for many surgical procedures. This environment has led to the search for novel teaching methods to deliver undergraduate medical education.Computer aided learning (CAL) offers distinct advantages over conventional teaching methods, including the potential for multime