COMPUTER-ASSISTED-INSTRUCTION IN PROBABILISTIC REASONING DURING THE INPATIENT MEDICINE CLERKSHIP

The acceptability and utility of computer-assisted instruction in prob abilistic reasoning was assessed for medicine clerkship students. Afte r a pretest, the experimental (n = 40), but not the control students ( n = 39), completed a program that we designed. The program contained t he test and its answers. After program exposure, experimental students rated their knowledge of the program's content significantly higher ( P = 10(-4)) than control students. On the identical posttest, experime ntal students also scored significantly higher than control students ( p = 10(-4)) and improved their scores significantly more (p = 10(-3)). They rated ease-of-use items significantly higher than content-releva nce items (p = 10(-4)). We conclude that computer-assisted instruction in probabilistic reasoning is acceptable to clerkship students, and t hat it may improve their knowledge and skills in this area. However, s tudents may rate the vehicle of this instruction more highly than its content.