Experience of application of remote technologies in an educational process at the histology department in COVID–19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective – to study the organization peculiarities of the educational process at the Histology Department using remote technologies among foreign 2nd-year students of the medical faculty of the HSEE of Ukraine “National Pirogov Memorial Medical University”, Vinnytsia.Material and methods. During the research, 90 foreign students (59 boys and 31 girls) aged 18.40 ± 0.17 years were interviewed. The survey was conducted by questionnaire in English, which consisted of 8 questions that highlighted the satisfaction and adaptation of foreign students to the learning process using distance technology (Microsoft Teams platform).Results. The study showed that the vast majority of respondents had no difficulties in mastering the interface of the Microsoft Teams platform. This, in turn, indicates the fast adaptive capability of foreign students to master remote technologies in a COVID-19 pandemic. In 43.33% of students, the subjective assessment of their knowledge is quite critical since they remained, to a certain extent, dissatisfied with the level of expertise that they received during distance learning. The survey showed that 62.69% of students were satisfied with the organization of distance learning at the histology department. The lack of full-fledged practical skills (working with a real microscope and self-recognition of all elements of the histological slide) creates a "practical deficiency" for the student.Conclusion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning in higher medical education institutions is a necessary element of the continuous education process, but it needs to be improved and cannot be a full-fledged replacement for its traditional forms.