Exploring the digital divide between medical students and medical teachers

Abstract

Background:

People from different generations approach learning in varied ways. The medical students of today belong to Generation Z whereas the medical teachers belong to Generation X and the Baby Boomers generation. This can result in inefficient knowledge sharing. This study aims to delve into one aspect of this i.e. to compare the familiarity and use of Web 2.0 technologies in the aforementioned groups.

Method

Instruments from other similar studies were used to develop a paper-based quantitative questionnaire administered to 128 students and 63 teachers at Foundation University Medical College, Rawalpindi. The data was analyzed via SPSS.

Results

A digital divide was found to exist between medical students and teachers. Both the groups were found reasonably well exposed to Web 2.0 technologies. However, the teachers use these tools for educational purposes more often as compared to the students.

Conclusion

Web 2.0 technologies have the potential to revolutionize medical education. However, this potential will only be achieved if there is increased training of both students and teachers in how to use these technologies to enhance teaching and learning.