eLearning in the Health Sciences

eLearning or the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to aid the teaching and learning process is the buzz word of the century. Everyone -- schools. students and even parents clamor for elearning as the way to become better students or more effective teachers. In the health sciences, elearning is seen as the way to go  global and be updated for the 21st century.

Substantial number of studies indeed show that elearning has the following positive effects: increased accessibility to information, better updating solutions, personalized training, better distribution, standardization of content,  better efficiency in achieving knowledge and skills, and offers opportunities for flexible teaching and learning while enhancing the possibilities for more individualized and self-directed learning in the medical education (Albarrak, 2011). But is it really the case?

What makes elearning effective depends on teachers' and students' use of it.  It is not elearning per se. eLearning has only the potential to accelerate and deepen the teaching and learning process, but using ICT alone does not make any difference. In the health sciences and in any other discipline of study, the effectiveness of elearning depends on the design of the lesson and the use of instructional methods. eLearning is just a medium and that technologies are merely vehicles that deliver instruction, and do not themselves influence student achievement the use of technologies, (Clark ,1983).


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