Student use and perceptions of mobile technology in clinical clerkships – Guidance for curriculum design

Background We examined the types of technology used by medical students in clinical clerkships, and the perception of technology implementation into the curriculum. Methods An online survey about technology use was completed prior to general surgery clinical clerkship. Types of devices and frequency/comfort of use were recorded. Perceptions of the benefits and barriers to technology use in clerkship learning were elicited. Results 125/131 (95.4%) students responded. Most students owned a smart phone (95.2%), tablet (52.8%), or both (50%); 61.6% spent > 11 h/week learning on a device at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for educational purposes. Technology use was seen as beneficial by 97.6% of students. Classes that used technology extensively were preferred by 54% of students, although 47.2% perceived decreased faculty/classmate interaction. Conclusions Students use mobile technology to improve how they learn new material, and prefer taking classes that incorporate information technology. However, in-person/blended curricula are preferable to completely online courses.