Medical students’ perspective on online teaching during pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has forced medical education to undergo sudden metamorphosis from the traditional face-to-face education to distance online learning. This transition was dealt with a lot of infrastructure and technical difficulties from both teacher and learner ends, especially in a developing country like India. This study was conducted with the aim of analyzing students’ perspective and problems faced in the live online teaching. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective longitudinal study conducted on medical students enrolled in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery courses at a government medical college located in hilly state Uttarakhand, India. Clearance from the institutional ethical committee was obtained. The students were invited to voluntarily participate in online survey by filling Google Forms which was E-mailed as well as shared in social media platform. A total of 237 medical students participated. The first survey was conducted at the time of initiation of online mode of teaching, during May 1–7, 2020, and second, after completion of 6 months of regular online teaching, during November 1–7, 2020. The questionnaire comprised initial section on demographic details and consent followed by 27 and 30 sets of statements pertaining to online medical education experience in the first and second questionnaires, respectively. A 5-point Likert scale was used. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. Chi-square test was applied for association, and P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 237 students participated in the study. The response rate was 52.7%. Majority of respondents had suitable devices (89.1%) and Internet facilities (62%) for online classes. The students accepted the new method of teaching very well, but for practical sessions and clinics, traditional classes were necessary. Long screen time, lack of student–teacher interaction, and interaction with peers were major concerns of students. However, over the study period, the availability of resources, friendliness toward technology, and inclination toward virtual classes increased. CONCLUSIONS: The pandemic has introduced to a new normal where online teaching cannot be ignored. Despite challenges faced during online learning, 65.5% of students preferred hybrid teaching in future for delivering medical education. Acceptance for online education by students increased over time in the study.

Challenges and Opportunities in Online Learning of General Medicine: Study Among Phase 4 MBBS Students in India

“…Like our study results, a study done by Saurabh et al, 2021 concluded that about 62.7 percent of undergraduate students had adequate internet access. (Saurabh et al, 2021) In contrast to our study results a study done by Kala et al, in 2021, in Uttarakhand found only 8 percent of the students hail from rural areas and about 13 percent resided in hilly areas. (Kala et al, 2021) This difference might be due to the rate of admission of students from rural and urban areas varying in different states of India.…”

“…(Saurabh et al, 2021) In contrast to our study results a study done by Kala et al, in 2021, in Uttarakhand found only 8 percent of the students hail from rural areas and about 13 percent resided in hilly areas. (Kala et al, 2021) This difference might be due to the rate of admission of students from rural and urban areas varying in different states of India. In the same study, they found about 62 percent of the students had access to uninterrupted networks.…”

“…In the same study, they found about 62 percent of the students had access to uninterrupted networks. (Kala et al, 2021) This result was almost similar to our study results. In that study, they also conclude that almost 69 percent of the students accepted online teaching and about…”

“…This showed the lack of responsibility by the students in online mode rather than offline mode. Similar to our study results a study done by Kala et al, in 2021, in Uttarakhand found more than 65 percent of the students felt that face-to-face teaching might be necessary for highquality learning. And also they comment that more than half of the students admitted they were not discussing or interacting in the online class.…”

“…instructors and students)". (Kala et al, 2021) India is eager to put the new competency-based education system into place at the same time. (Herur & Kolagi, 2016) Competency-based medical education (CMBE) prioritizes professional growth and skill building to produce Indian medical graduates who are globally competitive and capable of meeting society's expanding healthcare needs.…”