The role of technology in education; and the importance of student-developed resources

As technology advances, and the accessibility of new technologies increases, it is becoming increasingly relevant to incorporate education and technological development. Moreover, recent developments in how we approach education have seen a rise in self directed learning, with the focus now being the delivery of varying teaching styles to incorporate both didactic, and online learning. With technology becoming more efficient and easier to access, it lends itself perfectly towards self-directed learning and people being in control of how they learn. Taking this into account, we used Articulate Storyline 2 to create an E-tutorial focusing on the anatomy, histology and imaging of the abdominal organs. Our tutorial was designed specifically to support the learning outcomes of the medical curriculum by presenting information in a clear and interactive format which could be used in different ways to suit the individual. The goal was to establish a resource written by students for students, with the programme being developed based on feedback received by peers. The basis of the project was to identify areas where attainment in examinations was lower, and to establish a new resource to raise the levels of understanding and confidence in the subject. We analyzed post-examination statistics and developed questionnaires and invited students’ to examine preferred learning styles with a view to incorporating these into the programme to ensure an allencompassing package was created. We used an E-Learning program (Articulate Storyline 2) that aimed to be user friendly, to ensure a professional end product that was easy to create and modify. In the creation of our tutorial, we as students, focussed on creating something that was easy to use, enjoyable, and interactive. To make an educational resource that encompassed these qualities, we had to ensure that as well as having all the relevant intended learning outcomes of the medical course at the University of Glasgow, we also ensured it was displayed in such a way that lent itself to revision. We successfully created an interactive E-tutorial, validated by anatomical and digital experts for student use. We shall present data on student feedback, but also the process of the creation of an Etutorial focusing on abdominal anatomy. Working on the principle of the best way to learn is to teach, investing in such software within universities and encouraging development of further programs, by students, would potentially enhance learning as well as creating a bank of resources for future education. Nowadays, students are engaging with a variety of digital tools to enhance knowledge and understanding. The student population also wants to be able to work at their own pace and manage their study time outside didactic and interactive sessions. The creation of our E-tutorial is a new way of education and by embracing the technological developments; we will be able to create new resources of greater relevance for students today