Edublog as a motivational strategy for the Cellular and Tissular Biology course

Abstract

Introduction: Desertion and fail to pass from the first to the second year is a common problem at the school of Medicine from the National University of Mexico (UNAM). Multiple causes have been depicted in the literature associated with these problems, mainly demotivation and learning failure. Young students are regular TIC users. These technologies have been evolved in an increased communication and interaction options. For this reason higher education institutions are incorporating these technologies as part of their learning tools. The Edublog is an example of the aforementioned TICs that include an enriched and motivational learning ambient with histological images with tutorial support.
Objective: To report the instructional design of the “Cellular Biology and Medical Histology S.O.S Edublog” as a motivational strategy for the Cellular and Tissular Biology course.

Method: The instructional design was divided in the four sections as suggested by Prendes: diagnosis, design, development and evaluation. Histologic images, schemes, and orientation questions provided students with instruments for self-evaluation and self-regulation. Number of hits, comments and a focal group were utilized for the Edublog evaluation.

Results and conclusions: More than 485, 000 hits and 2012 comments were counted for the blog. The focal group reported that the Edublog was easy to use for students and motivated them to study for the course. Some comments suggested some improvement options that will be used to redesign some Edublog sections.