Context: Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been numerous higher education challenges. Medical universities have been urged to dispel students from educational and clinical settings and led them toward virtual education. This sudden transition has been accompanied by multiple challenges. Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the challenges of virtual medical education in the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Selection: This systematic review was performed by reviewing the current literature on the research subject and the studies conducted in this regard during March 2019 to April 2021 by searching via five key search engines and databases, including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Scopus, and ERIC. Results: In total, 23 studies were assessed, and different virtual education challenges in medical universities were classified into three categories of structural challenges, student-related challenges, and teacher-related challenges. In addition, strategies were proposed for overcoming the identified challenges. Conclusions: Since medical education was not properly pursued before the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary infrastructures are lacking in this area, designing and implementing such programs could bring about fundamental challenges in several countries (especially developing and low-income countries), thereby decreasing their success rate. On the other hand, the coronavirus crisis could be an opportunity to identify the weaknesses, shortcomings, and infrastructural deficiencies in e-learning and address these issues effectively.
Background: Teacher evaluation is an essential tool in educational processes, which could be performed by various methods, such as the assessment of students' opinions. Currently, the evaluation of university professors by students is an online process implemented by a questionnaire. However, the questionnaire items do not suit the current conditions, and university classes are held virtually or online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Objectives: The present study aimed to identify the influential factors in teacher evaluation regarding e-learning during COVID-19 from the perspective of the students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2020. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 213 students selected via convenience sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire with 18 items. The face validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by 10 education experts, and its reliability was confirmed at the Cronbach's alpha of 0.96. Data analysis was performed in SPSS. Results: The most to least significant influential factors in the students' evaluation of professors were respectively teacher's educational skills (54.9%), teacher's personal and ethical characteristics (56.6%), and observance of educational principles and rules (43.2%). The viewpoints of the male and female students toward these factors had a significant difference (P < 0.001). In addition, a significant difference was observed between the effects of various factors on the students' evaluation of their professors in different faculties and different educational levels (P < 0.001). Conclusions: According to the results and given the importance of the influential factors in teacher evaluation, the empowerment of professors regarding effective teaching methods and communication skills in e-learning is recommended to improve the quality of virtual education.
Background: The office of institutional research (IR) is an efficient part of universities and is responsible for guiding academic research. IR plays a pivotal role in improving the quality of higher education and universities through targeted research. Objectives: The present study aimed to propose a conceptual model of IR for the medical universities of Iran. Methods: This qualitative case study was performed on experts and managers at Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Iran. 10 subjects were selected via purposive sampling, and data were collected via in-depth semi-structured interviews, text mining, and observation until reaching theoretical saturation. The validity of the research was confirmed based on Lincoln and Guba's evaluative criteria. The retest and inter-coder reliability of the interview texts and documents were confirmed at 0.85%, and 0.81 and 0.79, respectively. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis. Results: We developed a model consisting of four inclusive themes, including: information authority, spin doctor, policy analyst, and scholar and researcher. Furthermore, the proposed model had 17 organizing and 71 basic themes. Conclusions: Our model with themes and organizing could be used by the medical universities of Iran to guide the measures taken to establish an IR office in these institutions.
Background:The fast pace and complicated nature of the environmental changes taking place and the problems ahead make academic decision-making a challenge for managers that cannot be overcome unless with the application of scientific studies. Institutional Research (IR) units deserve more attention now than before as effective decision-making tools using scientific findings.Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine the functions and structure of medical sciences universities and the activities of IR units.Methods: This qualitative study was carried out through a directed content analysis. The IR unit pertained to Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS). The documents of the official duties of KUMS were analyzed and compared in this research. Directed content analysis was used to enable proper comparisons and data analysis. In the first part of the study, the theoretical foundations were examined and a review of literature was performed on IR units, and by adapting Volkwein's model, a conceptual model consisting of IR components was drawn. In the second part, the documents of the official duties of KUMS were encoded and categorized and the categories extracted were then divided into 17 domains of IR activities based on the conceptual model, which were then compared and analyzed. Results:The results showed that, out of the 17 activities extracted from the theoretical foundations and the review of literature by the researcher, nine activities are already implemented in four major functions of IR units, and the largest IR unit was the Education Development Center (EDC) for medical sciences. This study also explains the structure and status of IR units in Iranian medical sciences universities.Conclusions: Medical sciences universities can complete the tasks of the EDC or establish a new structure as a separate unit at the university for IR implementation functions. The results can work as a guide for reflecting on and taking action about the establishment of an IR office at medical sciences universities throughout Iran.
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