COMPARISON BETWEEN PAPER-BASED AND WEB- BASED TEST IN THE CLINICAL SKILLS LABORATORY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

Background: E-Learning or web-based technology can be used to train undergraduate medical students’ clinical
reasoning skills. Currently, many learning methods are being developed using web-based environment to replace
paper-based because they are more efficient in terms of paper usage and are flexible for a student in accessing
materials. This study aims to explore student’s working durationaccess time and scores upon the usage of webbased
test, to compare students’ scores to paper-based test scores, to explore the advantages anddisadvantages, and
suggestions to improve the web-based learning method.
Method: This study randomly enlisted 60 medical students of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
and divided them into web-based (n = 30) and paper- based test (n = 30) groups. Students answered 15 disaster
management questions and completed a questionnaire. The scores and times needed to answer the questions were
compared using the Mann-Whitney and Independent Sample tests.
Results: The duration to answer in the web-based group was shorter than in paper- based group (p = 0.001), but
the average scores difference was not significant (p = 0.169). In the web-based group, similar numbers of students
accessed the website during and after working hours. Survey questionnaire results showed that most students realized
the advantages of this program and gave appropriate suggestions.
Conclusion: Practicing clinical reasoning skills using web-based learning method is more time-efficient compared
to the paper-based test. Its high-accessibility improves the learning interest and motivation of the student, with an
equal outcome to the paper-based test.