Perception of Undergraduate Medical Students in the Online OG Learning During COVID-19 Pandemic- A Cross Sectional Study at a Tertiary Care Medical College

Abstract

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a great teacher, and online teaching-learning has become the need of the hour during this crisis. In order to improve online medical education and include innovative methods to increase the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains of teaching-learning, it is essential to understand students' perceptions of this online teaching method. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted among medical undergraduates at a tertiary healthcare institution involving students of third, sixth, and eighth semesters. All the students who were willing to participate were included in the study. Data was collected using a predesigned, self-administered validated questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic variables, perceptions about course content, teachers and online assessments, their rating of traditional classes compared to online classes, and their experiences with online learning. Results: A total of 295 Undergraduate medical students belonging to the third, sixth, and eighth semesters of the MBBS course were included in the study. 85% of the students felt that the online OG classes during the COVID pandemic were enjoyable. A statistically significant association was found between student's course content and gender. The ease of staying at home, studying at one's own pace, and saving the transport cost were more acceptable to the students. Lack of communication between the patients and teachers and network issues were identified as problem areas. Conclusions: Hence, online teaching may replace traditional medical teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.