Wiki Technology Enhanced Group Project to Promote Active Learning in a Neuroscience Course for First-Year Medical Students: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

A wiki group project was integrated into a neuroscience course for first-year medical students. The project was developed as a self-directed, collaborative learning task to help medical students review course content and make clinically important connections. The goals of the project were to enhance students’ understanding of key concepts in neuroscience, promote active learning, and reinforce their information literacy skills. The objective of the exploratory study was to provide a formative evaluation of the wiki group project and to examine how wiki technology was utilized to enhance active and collaborative learning of first-year medical students in the course and to reinforce information literacy skills.

KEYWORDS:

• Active learning
• collaborative project-based learning
• information literacy
• medical curriculum
• medical education
• medical students
• neuroscience
• social media
• wiki

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Misa Mi

Misa Mi, PhD, MLIS, AHIP ([email protected]) is Associate Professor and Medical Librarian, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine Library, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309.

Douglas Gould

Douglas Gould, PhD ([email protected]) is Professor, Course Director, and Vice Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, 2200 N. Squirrel Road, Rochester, MI 48309.