Perceptions of medical students towards online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional survey of 2721 UK medical students

Abstract

ObjectivesTo investigate perceptions of medical students on the role of online teaching in facilitating medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic.DesignCross-sectional, online national survey.SettingResponses collected online from 4th May 2020 to 11th May 2020 across 40 UK medical schools.ParticipantsMedical students across all years from UK-registered medical schools.Main outcome measuresThe uses, experiences, perceived benefits and barriers of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results2721 medical students across 39 medical schools responded. Medical schools adapted to the pandemic in different ways. The changes included the development of new distance-learning platforms on which content was released, remote delivery of lectures using platforms and the use of question banks and other online active recall resources. A significant difference was found between time spent on online platforms before and during COVID-19, with 7.35% students before versus 23.56% students during the pandemic spending >15 hours per week (p<0.05). The greatest perceived benefits of online teaching platforms included their flexibility. Whereas the commonly perceived barriers to using online teaching platforms included family distraction (26.76%) and poor internet connection (21.53%).ConclusionsOnline teaching has enabled the continuation of medical education during these unprecedented times. Moving forward from this pandemic, in order to maximise the benefits of both face-to-face and online teaching and to improve the efficacy of medical education in the future, we suggest medical schools resort to teaching formats such as team-based/problem-based learning. This uses online teaching platforms allowing students to digest information in their own time but also allows students to then constructively discuss this material with peers. It has also been shown to be effective in terms of achieving learning outcomes. Beyond COVID-19, we anticipate further incorporation of online teaching methods within traditional medical education. This may accompany the observed shift in medical practice towards virtual consultations.

Online Synchronous Clinical Communication Training During the COVID-19 Pandemic [Letter]

“…UK medical students reported that only 28.48% had access to live online tutorials. 2 We therefore disagree with the conclusion drawn by Perron et al, as not all tutors can quickly adapt to online teaching. Innovation that combines clinical work and teaching is critical to solving this problem.…”

“…UK medical students report saving time on travelling as a major advantage of online learning. 2 From our experience, increased time efficiency has revealed opportunities to be taught by international experts, who were previously unable to commit to teaching. This key advantage of online communication skills should be included in a blended post-pandemic curriculum.…”

“…UK medical students report inconvenient tutorial timings as a hindrance to successful online learning. 2 At our university, international students describe difficulty in attending live lectures due to time differences. Although online teaching teases greater flexibility for students, fair distribution of learning resources are compromised.…”

A Near-Peer Educational Model for Online, Interactive Learning in Emergency Medicine

“…Previous survey of student attitudes toward online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated general dissatisfaction; students emphasized that currently available methods are asynchronous and that they largely prefer in-person learning due to the lack of interactive experiences available and the subsequent inability to ask questions while learning. 19 We demonstrated that engagement can be attained on a virtual platform and that this mode of clinical education, while not ideal, was sufficient for increasing students’ perceived comfort with core clinical concepts. This methodology can be applied to situations where in-person learning is unavailable, beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Virtual group consultations offer continuity of care globally during Covid‐19

“…The pandemic has also had massive impact on both undergraduate and post‐graduate education. This has included service pressures and the need for social distancing both restricting educational opportunities and compelling an increasing proportion of education being delivered online 16 . Virtual teaching has both advantages and disadvantages, 17 with advantages including the variety and accessibility.…”