Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Abstract BACKGROUND: Nowadays, the use of Internet with e‑learning resources anytime and anywhere
leads to interaction possibilities among teachers and students from different parts of the world. It
is becoming increasingly pertinent that we exploit the Internet technologies to achieve the most
benefits in the education.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study compares the difference between traditional classroom
and e‑learning in the educational environment. Medical undergraduate students of our institution were
enrolled to compare between the online versus traditional method of teaching through questionnaire.
RESULTS: Forty percent of students found the online lecture material difficult to understand. 42.6%
of respondents found it difficult to clear the doubts in online teaching; 64.4% of the participants
believed that they have learned more in a face‑to‑face learning.
CONCLUSION: In this study, we concluded that online mode offers flexibility on timing and delivery.
Students can even download the content, notes, and assignment. Despite all the advantages
offered, there is a general consensus that no technology can replace face‑to‑face teaching in real
because in this, there will be visual as well as verbal discussion. Looking at the uncertainty of the
current scenario, it is difficult to predict how long online classes will have to continue. Hence, it is of
paramount importance that we assess the effectiveness of online classes and consequently take
measures to ensure proper delivery of content to students, especially in a skilled field like medicine,
so we concluded that face‑to‑face learning is of utmost importance in medical institutions.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The COVID‑19 pandemic led to the closure of crowded places such as universities
and replaced face‑to‑face learning with virtual education. The purpose of this qualitative study was
to investigate the challenges of virtual learning from the students’ perspectives.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative descriptive study was conducted on students of
Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences. Purposeful sampling was performed by semi‑structured
group interviews on the Internet in the WhatsApp social network. Fifty‑two nursing, midwifery,
hygiene, and paramedical students were interviewed. Every interview was started by asking the
question “what is your experience about virtual teaching?” The data were analyzed using MAXQDA
software version 2020. According to the steps of qualitative content analysis, content analysis was
performed and the themes were extracted.
RESULTS: Fifty‑two students were interviewed in eight group sessions. Qualitative data analysis
leads to the extraction of 23 codes, 7 categories, and the 2 main themes; dissatisfaction with virtual
education with 4 categories (lack of feedback, communication channel problems, the unpreparedness
of the message receiver, and weakness in educational content) and solutions to the modification of
virtual teaching with three categories (possibility of receiving feedback, channel improvement, and
strengthening educational content) were extracted. The highest frequency of code was related to
the dissatisfaction with the uploaded contents.
CONCLUSIONS: Virtual education has created a negative experience among students for various
reasons, including the lack of distance learning infrastructure and the lack of a standard for preparing
quality content. Therefore, it is necessary for the officials of the Education Development Center to
supervise the prepared contents and improve distance learning infrastructure.

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Sabbaticals were first offered by Harvard University in the late 17th century to
provide “renewal” for faculty members. In this period of career development, a professor might learn
new techniques, expand a research program, or finish off that book or pile of languishing manuscripts.
This article tried to organize lived experiences of a visiting scholar from Isfahan University of Medical
Sciences to Johns Hopkins University. The research aimed to study the context and conditions of
the sabbatical in an alternative academic setting.
METHODS: This article applies a narrative qualitative study integrated with Eisner critical and
connoisseurship approach as a combined naturalistic methodology.   Using narrative inquiry and
reflective analysis in form of observations and audit reports, written dairy notes and memos, the
content analyzed thematically and extracted the themes of lived experiences as well as lessons
learned and then have been transformed into tables.
RESULTS: Extracted themes from research sources are categorized into three main themes:
organizational and professional experiences; teaching, instruction, and curricular experiences; and
research and technology management experiences.   These are resulted in the explanation of the field and
events (description), discussion about them (interpretation), followed by concluding remarks (evaluation).
. It also represents research questions and findings in descriptive and interpretation phases.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: This article addresses some descriptions, interpretations,
and evaluations extracted from the experiences through answering the research questions. It
categorizes these practical lessons into three categories: (1) lessons about becoming a lifelong
learner, (2) lessons about remaining a professor, and (3) innovative experiences.

Abstract Objectives: Critical thinking is an important outcome criterion of higher education in any
discipline. Medical and paramedical students always encounter with many new problems in
clinical settings and medicinal laboratory, and critical thinking is an essential skill in obtaining a
better approach for problem solving. We performed a pre-and post-test to evaluate the change of
critical thinking skills in medical sciences students who enrolled in Isfahan University of Medical
Sciences in Iran during the academic years 2008-2010.Methods: In a longitudinal design
study, the critical thinking skills were compared in medical sciences students in two sequential
semesters using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test. The test is divided into two parts
(parts 1 and 2), including 17 items in each part. Based on proportional stratified sampling, a
groups of students (group 1, n=159) were selected from the university population, who enrolled
in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and rehabilitation colleges. The students in group 1 were
asked to complete the part 1 of the test (phase I). After one semester, another group (group 2,
n=138) from the same population was randomly selected, and they were asked to complete
the part two (phase II). The students’ demographic data also were recorded. The California
critical thinking skills test was translated and it validity and reliability were approved before.
Results: No significant difference was observed between the two groups in the demographic
data. The students critical thinking scores in phase II significantly reduced in comparison
with phase 1 (p<0.05). The phase II scores in subdivisions of analysis, inference, inductive
reasoning, and deductive reasoning also failed to demonstrate improvement. Conclusion: It
seems curriculum reform is necessary to improve the students’ critical thinking.

Abstract Background: Today, the challenges of quality improvement and customer focus as well as systems
development are important and inevitable matters in higher education institutes. There are some
highly competitive challenges among educational institutes, including accountability to social needs,
increasing costs of education, diversity in educational methods and centers and their consequent
increasing competition, and the need for adaptation of new information and knowledge to focus
on students as the main customers. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the rate
of costumer focus based on Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students’ viewpoints and to
suggest solutions to improve this rate. Materials and Methods: This was a cross‑sectional study
carried out in 2011. The statistical population included all the students of seven faculties of Isfahan
University of Medical Sciences. According to statistical formulae, the sample size consisted of
384 subjects. Data collection tools included researcher‑made questionnaire whose reliability was
found to be 87% by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Finally, using the SPSS statistical software and
statistical methods of independent t‑test and one‑way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Likert scale
based data were analyzed. Results: The mean of overall score for customer focus (student‑centered)
of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences was 46.54. Finally, there was a relation between the
mean of overall score for customer focus and gender, educational levels, and students’ faculties.
Researcher suggest more investigation between Medical University and others. Conclusion: It is
a difference between medical sciences universities and others regarding the customer focus area,
since students’ gender must be considered as an effective factor in giving healthcare services quality.
In order to improve the customer focus, it is essential to take facilities, field of study, faculties, and
syllabus into consideration.

Abstract Introduction: Netiquette is appropriate behavioral etiquette when communicating through
computer networks or virtual space. Identification of a dominant organizational culture and
its relationship with a network culture offers applied guidelines to top managers of the university to expand communications and develop and learn organization through the use of the
internet. The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between netiquette and
organizational culture among faculty members of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences
(IUMS), Iran. Materials and Methods: To achieve this aim, the research method in this study
was correlational research, which belonged to the category of descriptive survey research.
The target population comprised of 594 faculty members of the IUMS, from which a sample of
150 was randomly selected, based on a simple stratified sampling method. For collecting the
required data, two researcher-made questionnaires were formulated. Even as the first questionnaire tended to measure the selected sample members’ organizational culture according
to Rabbin’s model (1999), the latter was designed in the Health Management and Economic
Research Center (HMERC), to evaluate netiquette. The reliability of the questionnaires was
computed by Choronbach’s alpha coefficient formula and they happened to be 0.97 and 0.89,
respectively. Ultimately, SPSS Version #15 was used for the statistical analysis of the data.
Results: The findings revealed that the organizational culture and netiquette were below average level among the sample members, signifying a considerable gap in the mean. In spite of
that, there was no significant relationship between netiquette and the organizational culture
of the faculty members. Conclusion: Emphasizing the importance of cultural preparation and
a network user’s training, this research suggests that the expansion of network culture rules
among IUMS and organizational official communications, through the use of internet networks,
in order to promote university netiquette and convenience in communication development, on
the basis of special etiquette.