E-learning Practice at Medical Universities in Poland in the Perspective of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic

Piotr K. Leszczyński,Tamara Zacharuk,Anna Charuta,Aleksandra Wilk,Aneta Binkowska,Magdalena Roszak,Andrzej A. Kononowicz,Paweł Świniarski

doi:10.2478/slgr-2020-0039

Abstract

Abstract The epidemiological situation resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused the Polish universities to fully switch to distance education in March 2020. Medical e-learning has not yet been broadly implemented into the education process. Therefore, examples of successful e-learning implementations or the organization of the process of medical e-learning offer a valuable source of knowledge today, which is needed immediately. The article presents e-learning practices at the Polish medical universities during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic during the period from March to September 2020, covering seven universities in Poland that offer medical and health studies. The organization and implementation of e-learning classes is presented, including knowledge evaluation practices, providing example decisions issued by university rectors, on which the teaching process was based. A detailed presentation of the schools’ organizational units or workgroups that played an important role in the process of coordination of measures supporting e-education is also included. The article also presents a description of the software applications, utilities, and services used at the schools in the course of the process of online education. Below are some examples of specific such implementations in selected university courses.

Highlights

The epidemiological situation resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused the Polish universities to fully switch to education based on elearning technologies, virtual reality, and online communication via the Internet in March 2020
The results demonstrated similar educational effects, regardless of the course format; in some topics, the results achieved by students who studied them on an e-learning basis were higher than those achieved in traditional class groups (Figure 1)
The practical study profile requires the appropriate minimum threshold of hours completed in future workplace environments

Summary

Introduction

The epidemiological situation resulting from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic caused the Polish universities to fully switch to education based on elearning technologies, virtual reality, and online communication via the Internet in March 2020. Changes were implemented in the education process at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences from March to September 2020 in accordance with the rulings passed by the University Authorities in response to the rapidly changing epidemiological situation in Poland These rulings concerned the course delivery methods, including methods of providing education at university clinics for students in the final years of their studies, or methods of electronic knowledge evaluation. During the academic year 2019/2020, students of the nursing and emergency medical rescue departments could obtain a maximum of 40% ECTS points defined for the respective classes in the study programme for online courses In this case, the distance teaching tools implemented beforehand were found to be useful in giving students an opportunity to complete their vocational practice training requirements. High fidelity simulators, extended debriefing technologies, and virtual reality will make it possible to hold academic courses and vocational training in a highly realistic environment, in compliance with the applicable sanitary and epidemiological rules

Conclusions and suggestions

A Voice from the Jagiellonian University Medical College

Findings

Final Conclusions and Challenges