. Pooja Sharma Kala; . Naveen Thapliyal; . Hari Shankar Pandey; . A. R. Piyush; . Sonam Maheshwari; . Vikram Singh Chaudhary
Volume 11, Issue 11 , December 2021, , Pages 1-6
Abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID‑19 pandemic has forced medical education to undergo suddenmetamorphosis from the traditional face‑to‑face education to distance online learning. This transitionwas ...
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BACKGROUND: COVID‑19 pandemic has forced medical education to undergo suddenmetamorphosis from the traditional face‑to‑face education to distance online learning. This transitionwas 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 analyzingstudents’ perspective and problems faced in the live online teaching.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective longitudinal study conducted on medicalstudents enrolled in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd years of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgerycourses at a government medical college located in hilly state Uttarakhand, India. Clearance fromthe institutional ethical committee was obtained. The students were invited to voluntarily participate inonline 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 initiationof online mode of teaching, during May 1–7, 2020, and second, after completion of 6 months ofregular online teaching, during November 1–7, 2020. The questionnaire comprised initial sectionon demographic details and consent followed by 27 and 30 sets of statements pertaining to onlinemedical education experience in the first and second questionnaires, respectively. A 5‑point Likertscale was used. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.0. Chi‑square test was applied forassociation, 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 ofrespondents had suitable devices (89.1%) and Internet facilities (62%) for online classes. The studentsaccepted the new method of teaching very well, but for practical sessions and clinics, traditionalclasses were necessary. Long screen time, lack of student–teacher interaction, and interaction withpeers 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 beignored. Despite challenges faced during online learning, 65.5% of students preferred hybrid teachingin future for delivering medical education. Acceptance for online education by students increasedover time in the study.
