Preferred online teaching and assessment methods among Indian medical graduates in coronavirus disease era

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic triggers a change in the medical teaching and learning program from the classical didactic classroom lecture to the modern online method for preventing the spread of the coronavirus and preserving social distancing. Aim and Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the preferences and applications of different online teaching and assessment methods for Indian medical graduates (IMG). Materials and Methods: A total of 310 MBBS 1st year (Phase-1) students were included in this questionnaire-based cross-sectional analysis after the preparation of the question with the aid of Google forms. Some questions were supported by yes or no answers. Other questions were such as multiple-choice question (MCQs), in which students can choose more than one option. Google forms have been given to IMG of medical colleges. Consent should be drawn from all MBBS students interested in the research. Results: PPT with voice recording is the most preferred (54.8%) online teaching method and MCQ based assessment by Google form is the most preferred (81%) online assessment method among IMG. About 76.1% of students feel comfortable with 30–60 min of online lectures and are mostly (58%) satisfied with their home environment for online teaching and learning. With all the pros and cons, 84.5% of students still say that traditional face-to-face teaching is more effective compared to the new online method. Conclusion: Our study concludes that online teaching is in need of a COVID-19 pandemic era, but cannot replace the efficacy of conventional face-to-face classroom teaching with a modern online method due to more engagement and feedback between teachers and students.