Optimizing Learning: Computer Technology in Medical Education
Kityan Sergey Alexandrovich
Andijan State Medical Institute, Andijan, Uzbekistan
Keywords: Computer Technology, Smartphones, Students, Propaedeutics, Internal Diseases.
Abstract: This article discusses the fundamental principles of teaching the propaedeutics of internal diseases to 2nd-3rd
year students, employing digital computer technologies. It highlights the necessity of adhering to
contemporary educational standards and adapting to the evolving digital landscape. The incorporation of
digital tools facilitates the simulation of symptoms associated with various pathological conditions, enhancing
student engagement and understanding. Moreover, the imperative to maintain continual communication with
students necessitates the integration of modern computer technologies into teaching practices. Additionally,
the article presents findings from a study conducted among 2nd and 3rd year students to assess the
effectiveness of utilising computer technologies in their education.
1 INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the massive use of high-tech smart
technologies and devices in our daily lives has
become commonplace. Thanks to these technologies,
we have the opportunity to communicate with each
other in real time, buy goods without leaving home,
pay bills, draw up documents, as well as receive
education online, take tests, and receive certificates
confirming the level of proficiency in any skill.
Almost every person has experience communicating
with a “smart” phone, tablet, computer, etc. Students,
being the forefront of our society and at the forefront
of cutting-edge developments and innovations in our
education, are of particular interest. This issue arose
especially acutely during the Covid 19 pandemic, it
was then that everyone realized how important the
Internet and devices that allow communication
through it are. There is an urgent need to organize
such communication not only between each other, but
also to establish interactive connections between
teachers and students to ensure the continuation of the
educational process, monitoring it, monitoring the
quality and timeliness of completing control tasks and
tests. Time has shown all the disadvantages and
advantages of digital information technologies
(Kulikova 2017, Poryaeva et al 2019).
Despite the shortcomings, these technologies
have firmly entered the educational process. Students
use their gadgets to store information, use e-books,
and use interactive education systems such as
moodle, hemis. The advantages of smart devices are
obvious; when getting ready for classes, when using
conventional paper media, a student is forced to carry
up to 5 - 6 kg of weight! Moreover, even the largest
book can be replaced by its electronic copy; the size
depends only on the availability of the required
amount of device memory and the presence of a
program that reads it.
Awareness of all the above problems dictates the
need to develop and introduce into the learning
process at clinical departments fundamentally new
approaches and solutions to the acquisition of
practical skills by students, the implementation of
their theoretical knowledge into practice through new
information technologies available to them and the
acquisition of completely new (previously unusual)
ones at the department. Competencies (Skubak et al
2022).
Multimedia e-learning provides students with
greater alternatives to choose from currently available
multimedia resource options to suit their diverse
learning and preparation styles (Badalbaeva et al
2020).
In the problem of modern medical education, one
of the key issues is the systematization and analysis
of a large amount of knowledge necessary to solve
complex clinical problems. The emergence and
improvement of artificial intelligence systems aimed
at the medical segment of our society is associated
with the need for widespread practical application of
artificial intelligence programs designed to provide
Alexandrovich, K.
Optimizing Learning: Computer Technology in Medical Education.
DOI: 10.5220/0012914900003882
Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 735-739
ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8
Proceedings Copyright © 2024 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda.
735

information assistance to students and doctors in
making a diagnosis, making therapeutic decisions and
predicting treatment results. Also, the purpose of such
systems is to assist medical workers in fulfilling their
duties and tasks related to obtaining the necessary
qualifications, professional data and knowledge.
The Internet, which currently provides access to
up to 90% of all information, is becoming more and
more suitable for the work of a doctor, an integral part
of his work around the world. Accessible and reliable
information offered to teachers, students, masters,
and doctors by reliable Internet resources that post
updated guidelines, databases, interactive resources
for self-study and control, sites that point to new
effective methods of treatment and diagnosis using
the principles of scientific research advanced
medicine will help improve the quality of education
of students, better understanding of the processes of
diagnosis and treatment, as well as improving the
safety of services provided to patients.
From a historical perspective, the importance of
“smart” devices in our society, in education, was not
so great until recently. Just 15-20 years ago, mobile
devices provided services related mainly to
communications (calls, SMS), enthusiasts could, of
course, use the Internet, at no speed and on a small
screen, which did not contribute to the popularity of
these devices in the field of education (Itinson et al
2019).
The turning point came with the advent of the first
smartphone, and then tablet-type computers; it was
clear that students would not fully use rather bulky
laptops. Also, it should be noted that owning
computers and laptops on the Windows operating
system requires a certain set of skills, a certain digital
hygiene, which turned out to be beyond the power of
the prevailing mass among students and among
teachers as well. At the same time, smartphones and
tablet-type computers, mainly on the Android system,
have gained rapid popularity among students due to
the absence of the need to master any complex skills;
the user basically only needs to click on the icon of
the required application and launch it; you can also
add to the advantages the relative cheapness of these
devices.
In this regard, and taking into account all of the
above, we set the task of finding out how fully and
with what efficiency students use these devices and
resources when preparing for classes and which
devices are preferable for this preparation.
2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Using an anonymous survey method, data was
collected and analysed concerning the utilisation of
information resources and tools among 2nd and 3rd
year students at the Andijan State Medical Institute
(ASMI). The questionnaire, conducted anonymously,
comprised inquiries such as the ownership of smart
devices, preferred devices for class preparation, usage
solely for information storage, e-book reading,
multimedia resource engagement, media file viewing,
note-taking, interactive teacher communication, and
the use of distance education systems.
The survey spanned three weeks, capitalising on
the students' presence directly within the department.
Originally intending to survey two hundred
students—equally split between the two courses—
technical complications resulted in the surveying of
only 176 individuals encompassing both genders.
Despite the setbacks, the survey aimed to gain
insights into the digital habits and preferences of
ASMI students, shedding light on their interactions
with various technological tools and educational
resources.
3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION
An anonymous survey was conducted among 176
students of different genders, 102 female and 74
male. Among the 3rd year students surveyed, the
number of respondents was 98 people; among the 2nd
year students, the respondents were 78 students,
respectively. Regarding the first question, according
to the questionnaire data, ownership of gadgets was
100%, but in the vast majority of cases these devices
were represented by smartphones of various models;
each respondent had them - 100%; students also had
tablet-type computers 23% and laptops 3%.
I would like to note that the owners of tablets and
laptops were predominantly female students, and they
also used all three of the above devices, unlike male
students, who mainly used only a mobile phone - a
smartphone. These devices were actively used by all
students to work online on distance education systems
(moodle and hemis) - 100%.
We observed the same high numbers among
students using the device as an e-book - 98%, while
using auxiliary applications for reading books (WPS
Office, Microsoft Office, Adobe Reader). There was
slightly less activity when viewing multimedia
materials (audio, video) - 87%; in most cases the
YouTube platform was used. 82% of the students
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surveyed preferred to store all information related to
the object of study (textbooks, videos, audio,
methodological and teaching aids).
Also, a fairly large number of students used
interactive multimedia applications with training and
control functions, such as “Auscultation of the
Heart”, “Human Anatomy” - 61%. 59% of
respondents tried to take notes on the educational
material necessary to prepare for the lesson, while
most of them did this formally, copying 1-2 pages
from the textbook according to the given topic. The
main reasons for this were the technical obstacles that
arise when working with smartphones due to their
small size.
At the same time, there was a sharp discrepancy
between the above indicators and the indicator
characterizing the interactivity of communication
between the student and the teacher, it was only 31%,
and it should be noted that students often came into
contact with the teacher precisely on the initiative of
the teacher himself. The reasons for contact between
students and teachers most often related to problems
of academic failure and student absence.
The communication process itself included the
use of Web 3 technologies, and specifically the
messenger program – Telegram. Gender differences
in the use of smart devices were represented by the
following indicators: female students, compared to
men, used smartphones much more often not only for
reading, but also directly for preparing for classes and
writing notes - 73% and 27%, respectively. Also,
unlike male students, they also had tablet-type
computers - only 15%. The number of laptops used
by students was equally small among both female and
male gender compositions and amounted to 6 and 9%,
respectively. Otherwise, there were no significant
differences in the use of devices or preparation for
classes.
Students of medical universities and faculties,
ideally, should be an important part of our society
with a very strong motivation, without which the
medical profession will be one of the most difficult to
master, but only in the senior years of the university
comes full understanding and awareness of all the
responsibility for received and not received or
misunderstood knowledge in this area, given that
most of this knowledge was acquired with great
difficulty in previous courses. In this regard, in the
context of our subsequent research, it is of undoubted
interest to analyze the preferred types of future
professional activity of medical students together
with the real needs of the labor market in order to
bring the training process as close as possible to the
modern needs of practical medicine.
The survey results obtained during the study
allow us to understand the learning difficulties that
have arisen, correctly place emphasis and evaluate the
role of digital smart devices in the educational
process among 2nd and 3rd year students. I would
like to immediately note the widespread use of mobile
phones - smartphones, as a universal device that
allows not only to establish communication processes
through voice communication, but also to use Web 2
and Web 3 technologies, with the latter occupying a
leading position. Characteristic of this situation is the
loss of interest among students in using full-fledged
desktop computers; the small number of computers
we noted were used extremely limited (mainly for
viewing multimedia content) and were represented
mainly by their mobile versions - tablets and laptops.
The role of students in this case was
overwhelmingly limited to rather passive
participation in the educational process, so many of
them preferred to use already available ready-made
materials taken from various Internet resources; when
searching for an answer to an additional question
from the teacher, the student began to search for an
answer on the Internet, while without even thinking
about the question posed and without using your own
notes.
Work in preparation for the lesson was limited to
searching for a given topic in an electronic textbook
already available on the media. Reading e-books from
the screen of a smartphone seems to be an
inconvenient, non-physiological process, since this is
hampered by the relatively small screen (intended
mainly for reading messages), as well as the screen
brightness (insufficient or excessive), which in turn
leads to eye fatigue and decreased students' vision. In
turn, one cannot fail to note the positive aspects of
these devices, first of all, mobility, portability,
especially in comparison with laptops or tablets, light
weight, with a good battery and long battery life, a
large assortment of programs - applications for
Android or iOS designed specifically for medical
education and, of course, the use of messenger
programs such as Telegram or Whatsapp, the
capabilities of which have gone far beyond simple
communication.
The potential of these programs includes the
ability to store the necessary files of multimedia
content, if necessary, conduct online classes in real
time, organize interactive training courses with
subsequent control testing. In addition, these
programs are of particular importance for teachers,
since they allow them to control educational
processes in real time online, this was especially
noticeable during the Covid 19 epidemic. Telegram
Optimizing Learning: Computer Technology in Medical Education
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groups and channels were created that allow
interactive interaction with students, checking sent
their completed homework.
Separately, I would like to mention such a service
as the Zoom platform, thanks to which the possibility
of conducting full-fledged interactive lectures was
realized, which in turn had a beneficial effect on the
motivation of students to further prepare for classes.
These interactive multimedia applications have a
number of positive qualities; they give the user the
opportunity to choose, customize this application,
taking into account his personal capabilities, such as
the availability of free time in the morning or evening,
throughout the day, setting the level of difficulty and
speed of reaction to completing a certain task.
Separately, it should be noted that there are
control testing functions carried out in these
applications, which helps the student improve their
qualification competencies and skills. It should also
be noted that female students tried to more widely and
fully use the full potential of smart devices, using a
wider range of smart devices (smartphones, tablets,
laptops) and preparing more thoroughly for classes.
4 CONCLUSION
We have to admit, unfortunately, that one of the forms
of traditional teaching, and this is work with
literature, with paper media, has ceased to be relevant,
and although we did not make it a condition of the
work to study the use of traditional means of teaching,
it is already possible to draw indirect conclusions
about that paper copies of textbooks have practically
replaced their electronic counterparts. There is a
significant decrease in the activity of student
independent work in preparation for classes; writing
notes is only formal, optional, and one of the reasons
for this is the inconvenience of using a small screen
on smartphones. At the same time, it is necessary to
point out the imaginary ease of digital technologies,
where all actions are reduced to just clicking on a
certain symbol.
All this leads to the fact that students develop a
certain set of mechanical skills in using smart devices,
deprives the student of independent decision-making,
and leads to a passive perception of the educational
processes surrounding him. The course of logical
conclusions is disrupted, false confidence in one’s
abilities and the ability to solve any problem appears.
In the future, the work of a doctor may only be
associated with touching the touch screens of various
smart devices.
All this must be avoided. Summing up, we can
conclude that at the moment in the hands of students
there is a fairly large resource with wide potential,
which, unfortunately, is not used to the full extent of
its capabilities. Due to the widespread use of mobile
smart devices, teachers of the department should
create or optimize existing educational content for the
most comfortable, student-friendly use on mobile
devices.
The most optimal option for the educational
process, according to our opinion, is a balanced
approach to using both traditional (books, notes) and
modern smart devices and digital technologies. It is
with this harmonious approach that students of
medical universities will develop the necessary
approaches and skills to understanding educational
processes, and in the future, to the work of a doctor.
It should be remembered that modern digital
technologies, including artificial intelligence, are,
first of all, applied tools that help teachers quickly and
efficiently present the necessary information; they are
tools that help students quickly get comfortable, get
into the right rhythm, be constantly in touch, and
conduct self-monitoring of their knowledge.
At the same time, our main goal remains the same
- the principles of education should not change, the
student should receive a high-quality, professional
education that guides him to further self-
development. We have the power to strengthen the
motivating reasons for obtaining higher medical
education, and in this case, new digital technologies
should become our assistants in solving educational
problems.
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