ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Zeraati   M. (*)
Zakipour   M. (1)
Aghabararian   N. (2)






(*) Educational Sciences Department, Management Faculty, Aeronautical University of Shahid Sattari, Tehran, Iran
(1) Educational Sciences Department, Management Faculty, Aeronautical University of Shahid Sattari, Tehran, Iran
(2) Educational Sciences Department, Human Sciences Faculty, Central Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

Correspondence


Article History

Received:   August  21, 2015
Accepted:   September 9, 2015
ePublished:   September 25, 2015

ABSTRACT

Aims Continuous virtual (electronic) learning is a method to strengthen the traditional approaches to education, but still there is not lot evidences about the evaluation of this method. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of two virtual (electronic) and traditional (lecture) educational methods on the level of learning of students.
Instrument & Methods In this quasi-experimental study in 2012, 202 undergraduate students of the Department of Public Health of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences who had epidemiology, epidemiology of common diseases, maternal and child health and reproductive health courses in the second semester of 2012 were entered to study by census method. Half of the subjects were presented by lecture and the rest in virtual form and the differences of students’ scores between educational methods were studied. Students’ viewpoint were also assessed via a researcher-made questionnaire. Student's T test and anal
Findings The mean scores of students was not significantly different between two methods (p>0.05). Virtual learning was appropriate in terms of achieving educational goals, content, methods, sequence and type of material and there was no significant relationship between the appropriateness of course content and learning objectives and number of errors in the final exam. Ability of students to work successfully with computer had significant relationships with success in working with e-learning system and computer test scores (p=0.001).
Conclusion Both methods of virtual (electronic) and lecture education have the same impact on the level of learning in students.


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