Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Biochemistry, Panimalar Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

2 Department of Biochemistry, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

3 Department of Community Medicine, Malabar Medical College, Kozhikode, Kerala, India

4 Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India

5 Department of Biochemistry, Chettinad Health City, Kelambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

6 Department of Community Medicine, Sri Venkateshwaraa Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Puducherry, India

7 Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India

8 Department of General Medicine, North Bengal Medical College, Siliguri, West Bengal, India

9 Department of Radiology, Mahishalkar Shinde Hospital, Sangli, Maharashtra, India

10 Department of Biochemistry, Panimalar Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Department of Medical Education, Panimalar Medical College Hospital & Research Institute, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

11 Department of Paramedical Sciences, Sri Venkateshwaraa College of Paramedical Sciences, Puducherry, India

Abstract

BACKGROUND: COVID‑19 pandemic lockdown has brought all sectors to be dwindled with
no exception of the academic system. Even professional courses like medical and allied health
academic courses were also not spared. The academic requirements were not met as required to
do so. Webinar has become a good source of virtual platform acting as a bridge for attaining the
gaps in accomplishing the curriculum to the students during these curfew times. Our study aimed
to know the value of webinars on teaching–learning processes among the medical and allied health
science students in India.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study design is a cross‑sectional study with 2084 students
who attended at least one webinar. An online survey questionnaire was sent, and the data were
collected on participant’s perspective on the effectiveness of webinar, post webinar assessment
by their satisfactory level of gain of information through webinars and their plan to apply in future.
RESULTS: Participant’s perspective on effectiveness of webinar showed 66.7% of agreement with
the webinar use. In post webinar assessment, the use of webinar was in agreement with 69.9% of the
participants. Furthermore, we observed a significant association with the gain of information in post
webinar assessment (P < 0.05) and a significant association with their plan to apply in future (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Our results showed that the students were satisfied with the webinar teaching and
acknowledged it to be an effective tool in the teaching–learning process to gain new knowledge and
wish to attend webinars in future as a part of their curriculum. Thus, webinars have a constructive
effect in the teaching and learning process in professional courses during pandemic lockdown.

Keywords

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