The effectiveness of podcasts as an adjunct learning strategy in teaching Clinical Microbiology among medical students

The educational tool of podcasting is just one way in which new technologies are being integrated into medical education. The use of podcasts in the medical curriculum provides the potential for ‘anytime, anywhere’ learning experiences. To assess the impact of podcasts as an educational tool, the Clinical Microbiology Department in the RCSI carried out a pilot study of third year medical students studying microbiology in the RCSI. The study was carried out over eleven weeks and all 270 students in the year were asked to participate. A 5-8 minute podcast was developed on individual microbiology topics e.g. antibiotic treatment of selected infections. Topics selected were those which the department felt were important to emphasise and formed an adjunct to lectures and tutorials on the topic. A quiz incorporating ten questions in a multiple choice format were devised for each podcast. Over the eleven week period the podcasts and quizzes were released at various intervals following completion of lectures and tutorials on the topic. Initially students completed a quiz on the topic one day before the release of the podcast. The quiz was then closed and the podcast on the topic released. Following release of the podcast students performed the same quiz five days later. A quiz completion rate of between 45 and 58 percent was achieved for each quiz. Analysis of the quiz results showed that the average result (out of 10) for the pre-podcast quiz was 4.2, whilst the average result for the post-podcast quiz was 5.9. This demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the quiz results pre and post release of the podcast (p-value <0.05). These results establish the importance of podcasts in complementing lectures, tutorials and e-learning to further student knowledge. Podcasting has the potential to enhance medical education by complementing current and future teaching modalities.