Online, face-to-face, or blended learning? Faculty and medical students’ perception during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed-method study

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to adopt online methods which were inevitable to keep the continuity of education across all academia after the suspension of traditional educational systems. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of faculty and students of online learning and their preference of the mode of learning after the pandemic.Methods: This is a mixed-method study that encompassed a quantitative component (researcher-made survey consisting of 22 items under three domains) and a qualitative component (focus group discussions). Quantitative data analysis was done, and quantitative variables were presented as means and standard deviations. Paired samples t-test and Chi-square test were used. A p-value ˂ 0.05 was considered as a cut-off point of statistical significance. Thematic analysis of qualitative data was used to code, interpret, and make sense of the data. Results: The mean scores of responses of faculty members and students were in favor of face-to-face and blended learning compared to online learning in all survey items with a statistically significant difference. More than half of the students preferred the face-to-face mode of learning, while most of the faculty preferred the blended mode of learning.Qualitative analysis identified five themes and revealed suggestions that at least 30% of the curriculum could be taught online post-COVID-19. Some aspects of clinically oriented teaching including history taking and case discussions can also be delivered online in the future. Faculty members and students reported that dealing with online education was not difficult, although the transition was not smooth. Conclusion: The study revealed that although online learning is the possible educational adaptation during the pandemic, medical students and faculty still prefer face-to-face and blended modes of learning for their higher benefits.

Innovations in Medical Education During the COVID-19 Era and Beyond: Medical Students' Perspectives on the Transformation of Real Public Health Visits Into Virtual Format

“…However, within the context of learning public health concepts, we believe that hands-on training along with virtual learning would be more suitable. We propose, in line with the recommendations from other studies ( 21 , 27 ) to encourage educators to use hybrid strategies in order to improve the experiences of medical students in learning public health concepts.…”

“…The COVID-19 pandemic has enhanced the adoption of online distance learning after the suspension of traditional teaching due to closures and lockdowns. Several studies have indicated that theoretical parts of the medical curriculum can be taught via virtual strategies while the practical and clinical components would be better delivered via either face-to-face or preferably a mixed approach ( 20 , 21 ). Digital transformation of medical academic activities was mandated during the current COVID-19 pandemic and is likely to become the norm medium of the educational environment even in the post-COVID-19 era.…”

“…It could be argued that the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the threat it poses to the whole community may have influenced the opinion of medical students to opt for an alternative method of learning that makes them less prone of being infected with the virus. However, such a limitation would unlikely have significantly affected the students' satisfaction rates with the virtual Public Health Program since the students have already accepted the potential health risk as part of their medical clinical training ( 21 ).…”

Communication barriers in emergency remote education

“…Nonetheless, subsequently, the sense of responsibility toward teaching gradually facilitated accepting the situation and managing anxiety, stress, confusion, frustration, and helplessness toward this crisis, a sense of mental and physical insecurity to be able to fulfill teaching duties and responsibilities, as reported by Casacchia et al (2021) and Manar Nabolsi et al (2021).…”

Face to face or blended learning? A case study: Teacher training in the pedagogical use of ICT

“…As described in the summary of references in previous related research studies included in the introduction section of this paper (Section 1), the results and the basic conclusion of our research in general is in line with related published findings and conclusions (Dziuban et al, 2018;Means et al, 2010;Youngers, 2014). However, recently, especially in the era of pandemic covid-19, where on line learning or blended learning were implemented in a rough way even in audiencies where such a method is not considered as appropriate, there are some findings stating that face to face learning is preferable and more efficient for the learners (Atwa et al, 2022;Nasution et al, 2021).…”