Use of Cloud-Based Graphic Narrative Software in Medical Ethics Teaching

Although used as a common pedagogical tool in K-12 education, online graphic narrative ("comics") software has not generally been incorporated into advanced professional or technical education. This contribution reports preliminary data from a study on the use of cloud-based graphics software Pixton.com to teach basic medical ethics concepts and the human dimension of medical ethics dilemmas in a premedical program at an American medical college in the State of Qatar. Qualitative and quantitative end-of-semester data (open-ended and 7-point Likert scale questions) were collected from randomized control and study groups from 22 total students in a 4-week medical ethics module, half of whom wrote an argumentative essay on a contemporary medical ethics dilemma and the other half who created a 10-15 panel graphic narrative consisting of a real-life doctor-patient-family encounter involving a contemporary ethical issue. [For the full proceedings, see ED562095.]