Active Learning in ‘The Cloud’: Using “Social” Technologies to Expand the Medical Classroom

In the last decade, the benefits of integrating active learning in medical education have been firmly established. Approaches that support students in actively applying content during their didactic years can enhance academic achievement, promote retention and application of knowledge, enhance understanding and mastery of course content, improve critical thinking and problem solving, augment clinical competencies, enhance interpersonal skills, promote teamwork, increase student engagement, promote positive attitudes, increase course satisfaction, and encourage self-directed lifelong learning [1–3]. Indeed, there is a growing recognition that in assisting physicians in becoming life-long learners who pursue knowledge and understanding autonomously in seeking excellence in patient care, medical educators must make every effort to provide learning experiences that actively engage and involve students in critical thinking and meaningful interaction with their peers [4, 5]. As of 2013, the Medical Education accrediting body, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), requires medical schools to use active learning strategies in the curriculum to build such skills as self-assessment on learning needs; the independent identification, analysis, and synthesis of relevant information; and the appraisal of the credibility of information sources (from LCME website, www.lcme.org).