Medical Students and Faculty Perceptions About Online Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic: Alfaisal University Experience.
Front Public Health
; 10: 880835, 2022.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35812490
ABSTRACT
Background and Objectives:
Off-campus online learning methods abruptly increased and gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have highlighted the limitations of online learning mode; however, further studies on the experiences of medical students are needed. This study aimed to investigate the preclinical medical students and faculty members' experiences with online education and learning. Subjects andMethods:
In this cross-sectional study, data were collected using convenience sampling. Two hundred nine students and 13 faculty members who participated in the online courses offered during the spring semester of 2019-2020 completed an online questionnaire. A 30-item questionnaire for the students and a 25-item questionnaire for the faculty were used in this cross-sectional study.Results:
Overall, 30% of the student sample was satisfied; importantly, high-achieving students (GPA > 3.5) were less satisfied (25 vs. 32%; p = 0.006). Satisfaction was also low (35%) for student-faculty interaction opportunities. About half of the student sample agreed that small-group interactive sessions would improve learning (53%). The most favored course format was the blended mode (43%), followed by traditional (40%) and online modes (17%). Six out of 13 (46%) faculty members were satisfied with their online experiences. Most of them found virtual teaching applications convenient (77%). Conversely, few faculty members agreed to interact effectively (54%), while 69% favored a blended format.Conclusions:
The level of satisfaction in fully online courses offered during the COVID-19 pandemic remained low, especially among high-achieving students. Both students and faculty favored the blended format for future purposes. Small group active-learning strategies and web-based interactive tools may facilitate engagement and student-faculty interactions.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Students, Medical
/
Education, Distance
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Prevalence_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Year:
2022
Type:
Article