B-learning in human anatomy: Comparative analysis of academic achievement between face-to-face and e-learning modalities

Introduction

In recent years, modern technologies have become established in most educational fields. Thus, e-learning tends to be an integral part of the learner-centered learning process, with the teacher acting as a facilitator. However, the methodologies used to study the impact of e-learning have been varied and imprecise, making comparison and meta-analysis difficult. This study attempts to overcome these obstacles with a large and homogeneous sample to compare (1) the academic outcomes obtained with face-to-face and e-learning in a blended module of human anatomy and (2) the response attempts (response index) of each student in answering questions specific to each learning modality.

Material and methods

The results of the multiple-choice exams under study were collected. All students (n=1160) were from four consecutive academic years following the same teaching program with a b-learning method: 13 topics were presented face to face by the same lecturers, and six via e-learning with the same online resources. Two variables were compared: (1) the academic grade, based on the score for correct answers and the penalty for incorrect ones, and (2) the response index, based on the number of correct and incorrect answers.

Results

(1) 73.45 % of the examinees passed the test. In the sample as a whole, results were better in face-to-face than in e-learning. In the quartiles ordered by overall academic performance, this superiority was limited to the top half of the higher-performing students. In contrast, lower-scoring students performed better in e-learning. However, these differences were modest (≤ 0.54 points). (2) In proportion, the questions on topics learned face-to-face were the most frequently answered. A strong correlation was observed between the variables in the whole sample and the students with the highest academic scores (first quartile) on the global exam and the questions on topics learned in each modality. In the remaining quartiles, the correlation was also strong in the e-learning content.

Conclusions

(1) Both modalities included in b-learning are academically effective. (2) Proportionally, students take more risks when answering content questions learned in face-to-face classes, and there is a strong correlation between response attempts and academic grades, especially, on the brightest exams and e-learning content.