Medical Students’ Perception of Using Electronic Learning Tools in an ESP Program

Given the burgeoning interest in the use of technology and electronic tools for educational purposes among students, this study set out with the purpose of investigating medical students’ perception of using e-learning tools and applications in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program at an Iranian medical university. The study also aimed to discover the extent to which the students prefer to use paper dictionaries, offline mobile dictionaries, computer-based dictionaries, and Internet-based dictionaries. To do so, an electronically-mediated course plan was designed and implemented for eight weeks. The course plan required the students to use different types of resources, including electronic learning tools. Then, a questionnaire eliciting the students’ perception of the significance of using electronic learning tools in the program and asking the students the extent to which they used different resources (paper dictionaries, offline mobile dictionaries, computer-based dictionaries and software and Internet-based applications and tools) was developed and used. The results showed that the majority of the students perceived that employing electronic tools and applications for educational purposes in the program was highly significant. It was also discovered that the students gave a high priority to offline mobile dictionaries; Internet-based applications, paper dictionaries, and computer-based dictionaries were other resources they used in the program in order of priority. The study carries practical implications for teachers and educational policymakers, especially in the developing countries where problems with the Internet linger on.