Evaluating e-Learning in the Pathology Course During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Purpose Synchronous and asynchronous e-learning is a promising and effective educational method for the delivery of medical lessons. Due to the public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, our Pathology Department faced the challenge of a total online transition of the lessons. Therefore, the aim is to evaluate the aspects of the applied e-learning method they received. Materials and Methods At the end of the semester when e-learning was applied, we designed a structured questionnaire consisting of 17 items via Google Forms, which took the students between 5 and 7 minutes to complete. Of the 257 students registered on the Pathology course in the fifth semester, 207 students (80.5%) returned completed valid questionnaires. Results Fifteen of the seventeen components of the e-learning Pathology questionnaire were evaluated highly by the vast majority of the students. The two remaining items, the HIPON platform and the Microlabs e-lessons, were evaluated highly by almost half the students. Approximately 93% of medical students answered that e-learning could be integrated with real class lessons in the medical curriculum: 62.8% (N = 130) of students answered to a great extent, and 30.4% (N = 63) answered to a small extent. Statistically significant differences were found between the demographic characteristics of the participants (gender, permanent residence, working status) and their evaluation of the e-learning items. Conclusion E-learning was successfully implemented for the delivery of the pathology lessons and was widely accepted by the students, providing evidence for its future integration into the medical curriculum. Our findings illuminate various aspects of the students’ experience with e-learning, and we strongly recommend that the students’ evaluation and perspective be taken into consideration by the faculty in the development of policies for higher-quality medical education.

Virtual Pathology Education in Medical Schools Worldwide during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Advantages, Challenges Faced, and Perspectives

“…A few authors have recently pointed out the preference of students for blended learning. For instance, Manou et al stated in their recent study that most pathology students in their institute exhibited a preference for the integration of e-learning into their conventional on-campus teaching post-pandemic [ 48 ]. Similarly, when our students were asked about the best delivery mode of the pathology course as soon as the pandemic finishes, the majority preferred a blended rather than an entirely on-campus or online approach [ 3 ].…”

“Starting from the Image”: A Tele-pathology Pre-graduate Course Aimed at Motivating Medical Students

“…However, οver time, the vast majority of students watched all the videotaped files (22 sessions garnered 13,112 views so far, among 200 students). The evaluation of the effort was done through an anonymous online questionnaire via Google Docs [6], where the students had the opportunity to freely express their criticism and suggestions. The vast majority of the medical students expressed great appreciation for the tele-course practical value and innovative character [6].…”

“…The evaluation of the effort was done through an anonymous online questionnaire via Google Docs [6], where the students had the opportunity to freely express their criticism and suggestions. The vast majority of the medical students expressed great appreciation for the tele-course practical value and innovative character [6]. Ιn the students' opinion, the tele-course most convincingly highlighted histopathology's broad cognitive field and its valuable contribution to clinical medicine.…”

Experiential student study groups: perspectives on medical education in the post-COVID-19 period

“…Student evaluations play a significant role in providing feedback regarding the effectiveness of educators’ teaching and are therefore taken into serious consideration to increase the quality of teaching/learning dynamics [ 13 , 14 ]. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated implementation of e-learning in medical courses [ 15 , 16 ], major concerns have been raised regarding the participation and engagement of the students in pathology lessons delivered via e-learning. Despite the high levels of flexibility offered by e-learning, whether synchronous or asynchronous, a relatively low participation rate was noticed in our department.…”