'Net Generation' medical students: technological experiences of pre-clinical and clinical students.

BACKGROUND: While institutions have been keen to integrate information and communication technologies into medical education, little is known about the technological experiences of the current cohort of so-called 'Net Generation' students. AIMS: This study investigated the technological experiences of medical students and determined whether there were differences between pre-clinical and clinical students. METHOD: In 2006, 207 pre-clinical and 161 clinical students studying medicine at a major Australian university were surveyed. The questionnaire asked students about their access to, use of and skills with an array of technologies and technology-based tools. RESULTS: The results show that access to mobile phones, memory sticks, desktop computers, and broadband Internet connections was high while technologies such as PDAs were used in very low numbers. A factor analysis of students' use of 39 technology-based tools revealed nine clear activity types, including the 'standard' use of computers and mobile-phones, and the use of the Internet as a pastime activity, for podcasting and for accessing services. A comparison of pre-clinical and clinical students revealed a number of significant differences in terms of the frequency and skill with which these students use distinct technology-based tools. CONCLUSIONS: The findings inform current technology-based teaching and learning activities and shed light on potential areas of educational technology development.