The Study of Effectiveness of Blended Learning Approach for Medical Training Courses

BACKGROUND: Blended learning as a method of learning that includes face to face learning, pure E-learning and didactic learning. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of medical education by this approach. METHODS: This interventional study was performed in 130 students at different clinical levels participating in class sessions on "congenital adrenal hyperplasia and ambiguous genitalia". Sampling was done gradually during 6 months and all of them filled a pretest questionnaire and received an educational compact disk. One week later, a presence class session was held in a question and answer and problem solving method. Two to four weeks later, they filled a posttest questionnaire. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between pretest and posttest scores and the posttest scores were significantly more than the pretest ones. Sub-specialized residents had the most and the students had the least attitude towards blended learning approach. There was a significant correlation between the research samples' accessibility to computer and their attitude and satisfaction to blended learning approach. CONCLUSION: Findings generally showed that the blended learning was an effective approach in making a profound learning of academic subjects.