Recent studies suggest integrated Web electronic (e)-learning and mobile (m-learning) technologies enhance student learning. Mobile phones have been used to deliver a smoking-cessation intervention to be effective amongst students and the implementation of an e-Textbook, shows high student satisfaction. Integrated learning hence provides students an appropriate alternative to facilitate learning but would depend on the end user satisfaction. Our research question was - Do students perceive electronic learning in this way helpful?

Purpose: To identify the attitude amongst Ophthalmology medical students towards mobile technology and Network Learning environment (NLE).

A questionnaire was used to assess the students attitudes towards integrated Web based electronic (e)-learning and mobile (m-learning) use of mobile/ PDA technology (m-learning) and e-learning or net work environment (NLE) using a Likert scale. A total of 42 fourth year medical students during their Ophthalmic attachment participated in this study. The first questionnaire yielded all 12 responses from the students.

There were 18 males and 24 females in this study. Amongst the medical students ninety eight percent used NLE during their ophthalmology attachment and 65% downloaded course material regularly. Two thirds (68%) found the information valuable. Eighty six found the online Lectures -valuable, 79% felt the tutorials valuable or better. None had utilized the student area or the feed back area.

Regarding m-learning 58% preferred a PDA to replace their manual log book. 68% would like to receive information on their mobile phone about updates on the Ophthalmology website during their posting. 35% had fears of having to burden the cost of PDA technology on themselves. None had access to a PDA on a day to day basis

Ophthalmic medical students are increasingly using mobile and e-learning technology to access learning material. While computers provide a rich source of online information via the NLE there is scope to amalgamate electronic and mobile learning technologies. Access to such technology may be a barrier to integrated Web electronic (e)-learning and mobile (m-learning) technologies to enhance student learning.

Students can now download course materials regularly and hence there is scope to utilize mobile technology to provide electronic log books and clinical encounter tracking systems. I recommend that we should amalgamate the m-learning and e-learning (NLE) technologies by providing access to smart/PDA phones to our medical students. This may improve the overall online learning experience of our students as it can also be used to track their clinical encounters during the posting. However the cost implications remain a major hurdle.

There is a lack of qualitative information obtained from this study. Focus group, survey and ethnographic studies on the medical student and human computer interaction are required to answer some of the questions from the results in this study.