Remote teaching for health academics in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a global shift to remote education has occurred. This study investigated the impact of remote teaching on health students at a public university in Amazonas, Brazil. The participants were students of the Nursing, Medicine and Dentistry courses, submitted to completely remote learning. Data collection was carried out online, followed by statistical analysis. In total, 175 students participated, representing 17.6% from Nursing, 20.6% from Medicine and 19.7% from Dentistry. Most participants were female (68.0%) and entered through the capital's admission system (65.1%). Considering the negative impact of the pandemic, 46.3% of students reported feeling frequently harmed by fully remote teaching. According to the students' perception, most professors were not adequately prepared for distance learning and active educational strategies proved to be ineffective; the lack of motivation among the students themselves was also reported. However, academic tutoring received positive evaluations. In this scenario, 48.0% of students reported a negative impact on academic performance, with concerns about virus transmission and family infections being significant factors. These results underscore the need for further research to understand the true nature of remote learning outcomes and guide future educational practices. It is crucial to adequately prepare professors for distance learning and to develop effective strategies that promote student motivation and improve their academic performance in crisis situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.