Abstract
BackgroundThe global reputation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led universities in China to conduct online teaching. However, the actual feedback from medical teachers and students regarding online education remains unclear.MethodsA prospective questionnaire survey examined the current opinions of online education from teachers and students at the Medical School of Tongji University.ResultsA total of 488 valid questionnaires were collected (223 males, 45.7%; 265 females, 54.3%), including 394 students (80.7%) and 94 teachers (19.3%). Most teachers and students were “in favor of online teaching,” had “positive views for online education,” were “satisfied with online teaching,” and “expected for regular online education,” although students thought that “too much learning tasks had been assigned” (90.4% teachers vs. 43.1% students, P < 0.001) and “less teaching effect than in offline classes” (68.1% teachers vs. 43.4% students). Compared to female counterpart, male students had higher “learning interest” (27.6% vs. 14.9%), “learning attention” (29.2% vs. 14.4%), “learning efficiency” (30.2% vs. 16.7%), and “better learning effect” (27.6% vs. 15.3%). Furthermore, male students had a significantly rise in attendance rate. Compared with male teachers, female teachers had less “experience in online educational course recording” (25.9% vs. 50%) and “past training for online teaching” (53.7% vs. 77.5%). Furthermore, they tended to be more “resistant to online teaching” (44.4% vs. 22.5%) and less “ready for online teaching” (70.4% vs. 87.5%). There was no significant difference in the acceptance of online teaching among teachers in different age groups.ConclusionsMost teachers and students supported and were satisfied with the implementation of online education during the pandemic. Although teachers were less adaptable to online education, they still had positive opinions. Sex influenced the acceptance of online teaching. Male teachers and students showed better adaptability than their female counterparts. Although online teaching has advantages, it still cannot completely replace traditional offline teaching. As online education is a trend for future learning, universities should make more efforts to improve it, especially to provide more attention to female teachers and students.
Highlights
The global reputation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led universities in China to conduct online teaching
The online teaching mode is thought to be an effective way in reducing the spread of infectious diseases in colleges by breaking chains of transmission [3, 4]
There was no statistical difference in the age ratio between male and female teachers, or in the number of students between sexes
Summary
The global reputation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has led universities in China to conduct online teaching. The actual feedback from medical teachers and students regarding online education remains unclear. The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), transmitted mainly through the respiratory tract, has spread globally, and it has high morbidity and mortality [1]. Unlike face-to-face teaching, online classes are not restricted by geographic regions, so teachers and students can complete teaching tasks at home. The online teaching mode is thought to be an effective way in reducing the spread of infectious diseases in colleges by breaking chains of transmission [3, 4]. Chinese colleges and universities have adopted online teaching practices [5]. As a new mode of teaching, online education still requires more research
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