Abstract
In March 2020, a national lockdown in Saudi Arabia due to the pandemic forced all educational institutions to complete their academic year via online education. This study aims to explore pharmacy students’ perceptions and assess their attitude towards online education during the lockdown. A cross-sectional self-administered survey was designed to collect responses of pharmacy students (from one college of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia) from December 2020 through January 2021. A total of 241 students completed the survey. Students’ responses indicated that they had easy access to the technology, online skills, motivation and overall favorable acceptance for online learning and examinations. There was a significant difference in the mean scores between the students from different years of study (p = 0.013) related to technology access, and the male students were in significantly more favor of online examinations than female students (p = 0.009). The majority of the students indicated that the lockdown had no or negative impact on their learning and training. Students have general acceptance for online education delivery due to more technology access and online skills. More research should explore the factors affecting and the extent of the impact of online education on student learning and training.
Highlights
The delivery of education to students who are not physically present with the help of satellite, video, audio, graphic, computer and multimedia technologies, is defined as distance education [1]
This study aims to explore the pharmacy students’ perceptions and assess their attitude towards the shift in the education delivery mode during the lockdown
Access to technology plays a crucial role in this modern age for distance learning, which is mainly conducted via online learning
Summary
The delivery of education to students who are not physically present with the help of satellite, video, audio, graphic, computer and multimedia technologies, is defined as distance education [1]. This mode of education delivery is not a new phenomenon and has been practiced in one form or another since the early 1900s [2]. The majority of countries implemented distance or online education to best meet their learning outcomes. Questions remain about how to harmonize semesters and academic calendars, as some programs have been successfully implemented online, while others have not
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