The effect of supplementary teaching tools on students’ outcomes in medical microbiology
Location
Philadelphia, PA
Start Date
17-4-2026 1:30 PM
End Date
17-4-2026 2:30 PM
Description
Introduction: Medical microbiology is challenging for first-year medical students because of the large number of microbial names and diseases that must be memorized within a short timeframe. Supplementary teaching aids, such as eBooks, may enhance learning and improve students' assessment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an eBook and summary tables on the grades of first-year medical students in a medical microbiology topic. Those materials were provided as supplementary tools alongside traditional lectures. The free software iBook Author (now Pages, Apple Inc.) was employed to create an interactive eBook on the topic of helminths and ectoparasites.
Methods: The percentage of correct responses (%CR) and the point-biserial correlation coefficients (rpbs) for each question were collected from the reports (ExamSoft Worldwide, Inc.) of mid-term and final exams in the period 2019 to 2022. The Chi-square test was used to compare the proportions of good, fair, and poor rpbs, and a simple logistic regression analysis was used to compare the odds of correct responses. This study is retrospective, and the collected data were deidentified.
Results: In 2022, first-year medical microbiology students were provided with an eBook and summary tables. The assessments' outcomes of this cohort were compared with those of the previous cohorts from 2019 to 2021. The mid-term exams had 7 to 9 questions, the final exams had 4 to 5 questions, and the number of students taking the exam ranged from 168 to 177. The %CR averaged over the midterm and final exams was 68.7%, 73.8%, 82.0%, and 87.0% in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. The logistic regression showed that students were more likely to choose the correct response in 2022 in the mid-term exam (OR=1.60, CI= [1.36, 1.87], p< 0.001), in the final exam (OR=3.41, CI=[2.67, 4.35], p< 0.001), and in the two exams combined (OR=2.33, CI=[2.02, 2.70], p< 0.001). The Chi-square test showed no significant difference in rpbs between 2019-2021 and 2022 (p=0.111).
Discussion: Our preliminary results suggest that supplementary tables and an eBook had a positive impact on students' performance in the parasites section of medical microbiology. A limitation of this study is the potential influence of additional variables associated with the presence of a different instructor in 2022.
Embargo Period
5-21-2026
The effect of supplementary teaching tools on students’ outcomes in medical microbiology
Philadelphia, PA
Introduction: Medical microbiology is challenging for first-year medical students because of the large number of microbial names and diseases that must be memorized within a short timeframe. Supplementary teaching aids, such as eBooks, may enhance learning and improve students' assessment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an eBook and summary tables on the grades of first-year medical students in a medical microbiology topic. Those materials were provided as supplementary tools alongside traditional lectures. The free software iBook Author (now Pages, Apple Inc.) was employed to create an interactive eBook on the topic of helminths and ectoparasites.
Methods: The percentage of correct responses (%CR) and the point-biserial correlation coefficients (rpbs) for each question were collected from the reports (ExamSoft Worldwide, Inc.) of mid-term and final exams in the period 2019 to 2022. The Chi-square test was used to compare the proportions of good, fair, and poor rpbs, and a simple logistic regression analysis was used to compare the odds of correct responses. This study is retrospective, and the collected data were deidentified.
Results: In 2022, first-year medical microbiology students were provided with an eBook and summary tables. The assessments' outcomes of this cohort were compared with those of the previous cohorts from 2019 to 2021. The mid-term exams had 7 to 9 questions, the final exams had 4 to 5 questions, and the number of students taking the exam ranged from 168 to 177. The %CR averaged over the midterm and final exams was 68.7%, 73.8%, 82.0%, and 87.0% in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. The logistic regression showed that students were more likely to choose the correct response in 2022 in the mid-term exam (OR=1.60, CI= [1.36, 1.87], p< 0.001), in the final exam (OR=3.41, CI=[2.67, 4.35], p< 0.001), and in the two exams combined (OR=2.33, CI=[2.02, 2.70], p< 0.001). The Chi-square test showed no significant difference in rpbs between 2019-2021 and 2022 (p=0.111).
Discussion: Our preliminary results suggest that supplementary tables and an eBook had a positive impact on students' performance in the parasites section of medical microbiology. A limitation of this study is the potential influence of additional variables associated with the presence of a different instructor in 2022.