Use of Online Learning in Medical Education Delivery

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In the current era, information technology has found its scope and application across all the streams and the same applies to the field of medical education and health care industry. The emergence of the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic has significantly affected the delivery of the medical curriculum. The adoption of online learning in medical institutions has neutralized the issue of accessibility and has enabled the teachers to continue the process of facilitation of learning. Regardless of the multiple merits that can be attributed to online learning, it has its inherent limitations and thus has to be supplemented by the conventional teaching-learning. Considering the multiple competencies that a medical student should acquire and the complexity of the medicine stream, the best approach will be to use online learning as an approach to supplement learning. It will be ideal to continue online learning till conventional learning becomes a feasible option, and then integrate the best aspects of online learning with face-to-face learning to simultaneously meet the varied needs of medical students. In conclusion, online learning has its own pro and cons, and the best approach is to use the technology for ensuring effective learning among medical students. This will essentially require adequate faculty development along with the necessary support from the administration and the technical team.