Learning the fundamentals of traditional Chinese medicine by using computer courseware: A preliminary study

Context: The knowledge and terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine are abstract and difficult for students and the public to understand in the present day. Aim: This article describes the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine computer courseware on DVD and the study done for determining whether instructions designed digitally are as effective as the instructions explained in the traditional lectures for students to acquire awareness of the abstract concepts and terms of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Settings and Design: Two units on Traditional Chinese Medicine were taught to 198 Taiwanese students: 153 students studied using the traditional classroom lecture method and 45 students studied using computer courseware on DVD. Results: Quantitative data on pre-test and post-test and qualitative data on open-ended responses regarding the experience of using the courseware were collected and analyzed. The post-test scores of both the lecture group and DVD courseware group were significantly higher than the pre-test scores. However, the results showed that the score gains between the pre-test and post-test scores of the two groups did not differ. Qualitative responses demonstrated that the students responded positively to using courseware. Since we are not denying the effectiveness of the face-to-face lectures, this result indicated that well-designed courseware is as effective as classroom lectures. Digital materials on the DVD courseware could assist learners for autonomous learning.