Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences
Year:2014 | Volume:5 | Issue:2|Papers Count:10

Introduction: Internet addiction in the sense of problematic Internet or compulsive Internet use causes mental, social and occupational problems. Thus, surveying the prevalence of this disorder can promote preventive measures and appropriate solutions to its diffusion.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, the statistical population consists of all Payam Noor University students in Semnan Province. Of this population (15000 students), 597 students, using Krejcie and Morgan sample determining table, were selected based on the stratified random sampling. The Young’s questionnaire, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), which has been proved to be both reliable and valid, was administrated to collect the required data. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Chi-square Distribution) were used for data analysis, using SPSS V.19 software.Results: The findings revealed that 23.8% of the students had moderate internet addiction and 1.8% had severe internet addiction. There was no difference between male and female students, regarding this addiction.Conclusion: Internet addiction is prevalent among students and so there is a need for remedial and preventive interventions.

Introduction: Today, regarding the role of accurate information, especially financial information, and financial decision-making, planning and implementation of a sound costing system that can detect, identify and calculate the exact cost of the delivered services is of great importance. Our country is not an exception. The importance of applying the correct information in decision-making and the need for clarity of costs and revenue sources has received an increasing emphasis in recent years in Iran.Materials and Methods: In this study, the costs of the Department of Student and Cultural Affairs in 2011 were analyzed and total cost of services delivered to the students was calculated. The method applied in calculating was Activity Based Costing (ABC). First, each process and activity was analyzed. Then the total cost of each activity center was calculated step by step, using the right bases. Finally, the per capita cost of each activity center for the students was calculated. The calculations were carried out, using Excel software.Results: The total cost of the services delivered to the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences was 10, 551, 353.64 Rials and the total cost of services delivered to the students in dormitories of Tehran University of Medical Sciences was 21, 705, 119.32 Rials.Conclusion: Forty percent of the cost of the services was procured by the government and the %60 of the cost was without any fund. This leads to the reduction and low quality of the services delivered to the students. So a revision of the required budget for this the procurement of the deficit is necessary.

Introduction: With exponential increase of virtual courses in higher education, most universities have provided this kind of education for their students. Due to the lack of face to face interaction between professors and students in this type of education, many types of supports including human and non-human resources would be necessary. The main purpose of the present paper was to identify and compare the types of supportive resources from the viewpoints of students attending electronic and on campus courses.Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 160 graduated students from Isfahan University, both virtual and non-virtual, were selected, using the stratified random sampling method. The data were gathered through a researcher-made questionnaire which was based on literature review. The content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by experts. Its reliability was estimated to be 0.84, using Alpha-Cronbach’s coefficient. The data were analyzed, using frequencies, percentages and the chi-square test.Results: The results indicated that in non-virtual courses, professors were the most important support for students while in virtual courses, students significantly used supports from teachers’ assistants, and professors and students from other universities to meet their needs (P<0.05).Conclusion: In terms of using non-human resources, especially media for education, there was a significant difference between students in electronic courses and on campus students.

Introduction: Web-based teaching method is known as a new and active teaching method which enhances achievement motivation and academic achievement. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of web-based, cooperative learning and traditional teaching methods in achievement motivation and academic achievement in the biology course.Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, 60 male students having a biology course were selected through the multi-step cluster sampling method and randomly assigned to three groups. One experimental group was educated through the web-based method and the other through cooperative learning method for 15 sessions. The control group, however, was educated through traditional methods. All groups completed the achievement motivation questionnaire (Hermans, 1970) and a teacher-made test as the pre-test and post-test. The data were analyzed, using the SPSS software, version 19, the multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).Results: The findings showed that unlike the traditional method, the web-based method led to more increase in both achievement motivation and academic achievement. The cooperative learning method also increased academic achievement more than the traditional method. However, regarding achievement motivation, there was no significant difference between these two approaches. Regarding academic achievement, there was no significant difference between web-based and cooperative methods (p<0.05).Conclusion: Both web-based and cooperative learning methods enhanced the students’ academic achievement more than the traditional method. But only the web-based method enhanced the students’ achievement motivation.

Introduction: Critical thinking as an important part in improving clinical performance and professional responsibility in order to get better understanding of the students’ learning outcomes, has gained special significance. Since this skill could be taught and learnt, the aim of this study was to determine the critical thinking situation of among dental students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 163 dental students in the clinical last three years. Data gathering was carried out by using the standardized California critical thinking skills test-Form B (CCTST) questionnaire.Results: The average overall score of critical thinking for the participants was (14.53±3.28) out of 34. The Majority of the students were in the medium level regarding both the overall tests’ score and the five critical thinking sub skills. There was not a significant difference, considering sex and educational level.Conclusion: Although the results are indicative of an average normal level of critical thinking among dental clinical students, yet this level doesn’t seem fully satisfactory. Regarding the importance of this skill in professional and clinical performance and reasoning, educational administrators should focus on reforming educational programs, and improving educational environments especially in clinical fields in order to reinforce these skills.

Introduction: As health services and facilities are more centered in the large cities, small towns and villages are somehow deprived of such services. A sound solution to this unbalanced distribution of health resources is implementation of telemedicine. As Shiraz University of Medical sciences is the organization providing health services to people in Fars Province, the purpose of this study was to examine the IT infrastructure of this university to implement telemedicine in Fars Province in 2013.Materials and Methods: This research was a descriptive, cross-sectional study. The study population included 20 specified centers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences for the implementation of teleconsultation in Fars Province. Since the study population was limited, sampling was not performed. The means of data collection was the checklists based on a collection of world standards (Standards of India, United States, and Australia). The resulting data were analyzed through descriptive statistical methods, using the SPSS software, version 16.Results: Our findings showed that 70% of the centers had the desktop PC platform, 100% had the laptop platform, but none of the centers had any portable platforms. Furthermore, 14% of the investigated centers had the required clinical devices, 70% had display monitors with the maximum resolution, 75% had the leased line communication platform, 35% had optic fibers, and 35% had GPRS communication platform.Conclusion: According to the present infrastructure, implementing the most preliminary levels of teleconsultation under special condition is possible, but the university is not able to provide services in the other types of telemedicine.

Introduction: An important factor fostering the achievement of educational objectives and goals is the lecturer. Characteristics of a lecturer could facilitate the teaching procedure and even compensate for the textbook imperfections. Regarding the importance of the subject, the aim of this research is to determine the characteristics of a successful lecturer from the in the prospect of the students of the Shiraz Virtual Universities.Materials and Methods: The present research was functional and for its accomplishment, the measuring- method has been used. For the purpose of data accumulation, the verified questionnaire forms has been used, which reliability of the questionnaires was calculated by the Cronbakh Alpha coefficient and estimated to be 0.93. Statistic Research Community contains 1270 people, from which 1200 people were in Shiraz Virtual University and 70 people were the students of Shiraz Virtual Medical Science University. The volume of research statistic sample, by using Morgan chart estimated to be 351 people, that has been chosen by the proportional classificatory sampling method. The analysis of questionnaires of single changeable test, independent T, dissolution of one way variance (ANOVA) and the prosecution test is also used.Results: The results showed that Domains of scholarship (Virtual University Shiraz of m=4.37 and Virtual University of Medical Sciences Shiraz m=4.47), electronic skills (Virtual University Shiraz of m=3.94 and Virtual University of Medical Sciences Shiraz m=4.16) and teaching techniques (Virtual University Shiraz of m=4.21 and Virtual University of Medical Sciences Shiraz m=4.30) Successful teachers are effective in defining feature (p=0.001).Conclusion: Research findings demonstrate that, researching, obligation, electronic skills and teaching techniques scopes, are effective in clarification of successful master.

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the effect of the 5E Instructional Design Model on critical thinking of the students taking the educational psychology course. The main hypothesis of the study was that the critical thinking level of the students taught through 5E teaching method is different from that of the students through the traditional teaching methods. The population included all the undergraduate students in the Psychology and Educational Science of Tehran Kharazmi University in the academic year, 2012-2013.Materials and Methods: The study was of the quasi-experimental design. Simple aviable sampling was used. The sample consisted of 36 people divided into two groups each with18 students. The data were collected, using California (form B) critical thinking. The validity of the test was calculated, using internal consistency validity. The reliability of the test was found to be 0.68, using Kuder-Richardson. California (form B) questionnaire was given to both of the groups as the pretest. The experimental group was taught through 5E Instructional Design Model and the control group through the lecture method for 7 weeks. The critical thinking post-test was given to both groups. The collected data were analyzed using the software SPSS and covariance analysis was applied to the groups, at the beginning and at the end of the semester as pre-test and post-tests.Results: The results of the study indicated that the level of critical thinking was higher in the group taught through 5E Instructional Design Model than that in the control group (p<0.01). Moreover, the analysis, evaluation and inference skills were significantly higher in the 5E group than those in the control group (p<0.01).Conclusion: Overall, we can conclude that instructional design models derived from the constructivism theory of integration and instructional design model 5E, facilitating critical thinking, and learning in instruction.

Introduction: Following the growing development of information technology, the traditional methods of teaching cannot meet the teaching demands of today’s societies. The Purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the modern and traditional teaching methods on knowledge and attitude of the dental students.Materials and Methods: This study is a semi experimental one carried out in the academic year, 2012. The participants consisting of two groups of dental students were selected through random sampling. One group was taught through the traditional method and the second group through the multimedia method. Then a written test was given to the two groups about the lesson contents, and the satisfaction level of the groups was determined, using the 0-10 scale. After two months, a test was performed in order to investigate the rate of remembrance. The Manweitny statistic test was used in order to analyze the data.Results: The level of knowledge for the group taught through multimedia method was more significant than that for the group undergoing the traditional method. However, the mean of satisfaction grade and remembrance were found not be significantly different.Conclusion: Regarding the effectiveness of the multimedia method, the use of this method can provide a good opportunity for students to learn better.

With the growing use of information and communication technologies for education worldwide, e-learning has been widely regarded as an imperative tool for educational institutions and training centers all over the world. The review of satisfaction, level of learner’s presence, usefulness of technologies in distance education and also the relationships among such issues have a significant role in planning the future of educational institutes. To this end, this review aims to investigate the key factors affecting the increased learner desire to continue education in the web-based learning and ultimately provide a model for these factors.This paper reviewed 88 relevant articles published between 1988 and 2013. Having in mind the factors considered important in the previous studies, the researchers have proposed a model for sustainable education in e-learning known as TEAM (technology, environment, attitude and motivation). This model, as an indicator, can be used to measure the students’ satisfaction level and ultimately boost their involvement in e-learning. It can also assist educational centers and institutes to gain a better understanding of how e-learning could be applied more productively.