Worldwide utilization of a web-based learning tool for pediatric radiology.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the reach, appeal, and learning effectiveness of a Web-based pediatric radiology curriculum with attention to level of training, test format, program size, subspecialty, and country of study.
Materials and Methods: Registration demographics, the 10-point evaluation form, and pre- and posttest scores from approximately 17,000 modules completed from October 2011 to July 2012 were analyzed.
Results: There were 20,583 registered users from 298 institutions, 43 states and Puerto Rico, and 53 countries, with on average 256 new registrants each year. Evaluation scores were 3.30-4.16 of 5 points. Small programs benefited most with an average improvement of 16.78%, with an average improvement of 16.31% for medium and large programs (p < 0.001). First-year residents showed greatest improvement (18.15%), followed by second-year (16.74%), third-year (16.16%), and fourth-year (12.94%) residents. Radiology residents showed greater improvement (16.63%) over others collectively (16.21%), dependent on job training (p < 0.0001). Average improvement for true/false versus multiple-choice tests was 15.53% and 26.00%, respectively (p < 0.0001). Improvement was higher for international (16.91%) than North American (16.43%) users, with all modules showing improvement with similar trends for all modules; however, the pretest average was higher for United States and Canada than for the rest of the world (63.67% vs 61.92%). Mean improvement over all modules was 16.45% (SD, 18.36%) with 95% confidence interval of 16.18%-16.73% (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: The pediatric radiology curriculum is universally popular both within North America and internationally, easy to use and enjoyable, and effective for learners at all levels within radiology and allied fields. In addition, it serves as an excellent springboard for future development of more sophisticated learning tools.