Teaching Histology in the Age of Virtual Microscopy and E-Resources: Is a Tailored Approach to Domestic and International Students Warranted?

Background: Individuals’ learning habits and associated challenges in medical education have rarely been studied in the present digital era. We investigated if a tailored instructional approach is needed for domestis and international students studying histology. Methods: This cross-sectional survey was performed in May 2019 at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Census method was applied, and a validated researcher-made questionnaire was distributed among all students attending histology courses. We collected 192 evaluable questionnaires from Czech students and 61 from international students. Differences in opinions between the two groups were tested using Fisher´s exact and chi-square test. Results: Compared to their domestic peers, international students were less reliant on printed textbooks (6.9% vs. 17.3%), while showing greater interest in materials from lectures (35.3% vs. 9.2%) (p <0.0001). They were also more inclined to use virtual microscopy only (p <0.0001), and unlike their Czech counterparts, they preferred to study in small groups rather than alone (35.5% vs. 4.7%) (p