Drawbacks of remote teaching and learning assessment of medical and health science students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Future perspectives and recommendations (original) (raw)
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Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability
Due to the unprecedented COVID-19 incident, higher education institutions have faced different challenges in their teaching-learning activities. Particularly conducting assessments remotely during COVID-19 has posed extraordinary challenges for higher education institutions owing to lack of preparation superimposed with the inherent problems of remote assessment. In the current study, the challenges of remote assessment during COVID-19 incident in higher education institutions were investigated taking Middle East College as a case study. For the study, questionnaires were prepared and data from 50 faculties were collected and analyzed. The study focused on the challenges of remote assessment in general and academic dishonesty in particular. The main challenges identified in remote assessment were academic dishonesty, infrastructure, coverage of learning outcomes, and commitment of students to submit assessments. To minimize academic dishonesty, preparing different questions to each student was found to be the best approach. Online presentation was also found to be good option to control academic integrity violations. Combining various assessment methods, for instance report submission with online presentation, helps to minimize academic dishonesty since the examiner would have a chance to confirm whether the submitted work is the work of the student.
International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health
Background: Medical faculties in Indonesia also affected by COVID-19 pandemic, including the faculty of medicine, Universitas Kristen Indonesia. To some extent, faculty administrator had to improvisize in order to make adjustment, from the formerly class based lecture in to modified long distance/online lecture. This study aimed to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the medical education by asking the student’s perception on the practice of long distance learning delivered during this pandemi.Methods: The study held in Jakarta, Indonesia from the 1st until 3rd week of May 2020, after previously being approved by the faculty ethical committe. This is a simple survey based cross sectional study design using electronic questionairre which was arranged based on the result of previously conducted small focus group discussion and in-depth interview carried out on a number of selected students and lecturers. Questionairre made on Google Forms™, then carefully being evaluated for its validit...
Academic Integrity in Traditional Vs Online Undergraduate Medical Education Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic
Cureus, 2021
Due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, undergraduate medical education made a drastic paradigm shift towards online learning and assessment. This study was aimed at developing a statistical approach to empirically analyze the academic integrity of the online exams. Data were collected retrospectively from academic records of Physiology and Anatomy courses of a private medical college, in which students had attempted sequential on-campus and online modular exams. We developed a statistical model to predict on-campus and online exam scores of undergraduate medical students, from their previous academic records. Hypothesizing that the predictor model contains comparable explanatory power for both exams, we utilized the explanatory power variation (R 2 statistics) of the improvised model to predict academic dishonesty behavior in traditional vs online exams. Reduced explanatory power (R 2 statistics) of the model for any mode of the exam, in which students scored considerably different from their previous academic record, was interpreted as indirect evidence of academic dishonesty. Our model explained a large proportion of variation (R 2) in overall scores of on-campus and online Physiology and Anatomy modules. Whereas, the model could explain only a small proportion of variation in scores of online theory exams, with a moderate effect size (adjusted R 2). Reduced explanatory power for both Physiology and Anatomy online theory exams implies the chance of academic dishonesty in this particular component of the online exam. Explanatory power variation of a predictor statistical model can be further explored and utilized to monitor academic integrity in future online exams.
Online examination: a feasible alternative during COVID-19 lockdown
Emerald , 2021
Purpose-The purpose of this case study is to share the authors' involvement and observation in adopting online exam as an evaluation tool, in the hope that others may too be able to adapt and circumvent this lockdown period while bringing a more reliable methodological approach in an online exam. Design/methodology/approach-This is a case study that reports the application of an online examination for a year 3 MBBS Professional Exam during the period of lockdown (movement control). This case highlights the conduct of online theory in the form of single best answer multiple choice questions and online practical via objective structured clinical examination, without jeopardizing the integrity of the system, and the measures adapted to mitigate potential academic dishonesty. Findings-The authors' observation shows that online exam can be conducted in scenario where conventional exam is not possible. Research limitations/implications-This is an observation in a real-life scenario that discusses the purpose and the process. A single study may not be sufficient to relate the reliability and generalizability of the analysis. Practical implications-The practice of social distancing is a hindrance towards traditional classroom teaching. Online exam has promising potential to be the solution to this problem. The authors have demonstrated that an MBBS theory and practical exam can be conducted remotely without any physical contact, without any compromise in achieving the learning objectives within the curriculum. Medical education can proceed with a new drive while ensuring the learning process continues a stable momentum. Originality/value-Online examination is almost unheard of, especially for undergraduates in the medical programme. This study highlights a plausible approach in the design of the online examination and identifies the barriers and favourable edges of this platform.
Medical Students’ Perception about Online Teaching Methods during COVID-19 Pandemic
Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences
BACKGROUND The process of online teaching and learning had an impact on both teachers and students; as a result, for the students who were assigned (confined) to staying home there were limited opportunities to practice in the clinic. The aim of this study was to assess foreign medical student's perception about the efficiency of the remote teaching method, and to investigate their opinion about implementing some online teaching features even after the pandemic period would pass. METHODS A questionnaire was created, providing questions related to social-demographic factors and 20 statements for assessing the opinion of the respondents regarding the online educational process implemented during the pandemic period. The questionnaires were distributed by email. RESULTS 459 answers were statistically analyzed. We noticed that students accepted remote lectures and other learning activities due to the higher risk of contamination. But among those who wrote an answer to this question, many would like to restart the classic activities as soon as possible, especially for the labs or clinical practice. We observed also a tendency to accept remote lectures, or a combination between online and traditional lectures, after the pandemic period is over. CONCLUSIONS Considering the results of the present survey, we can affirm that foreign students had an overall positive opinion about the acceptability and usability of online medical learning. Students viewed online activities as helpful, but as a supplement to their learning rather than a replacement for traditional teaching methods.
Cureus
Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, internet-based learning modalities and online classes became a tool for the continuous learning process for medical students. The aim of this study was to compare medical student performance in both online versus offline instructional methods. Methods: The study was conducted on 213 medical students of the basic science program at the American University of Antigua, College of Medicine (AUACOM), who completed the four semesters consecutively between Spring 2018 and Fall 2020. Two cohorts of students were considered in the study: cohort 1 (those who completed years 1 and 2 using traditional offline teaching modality) and cohort 2 (those who completed year 1 offline and year 2 online). The years 1 and 2 National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) summative assessment scores of the students were used to determine which instructional modality generated better student performance outcomes for the two groups. Additionally, we evaluated the score variabilities between genders to determine if teaching modality had an impact on a specific group. All statistical comparisons were done using two-tailed t-tests. Results: The study involves 213 students (112 in cohort 1, 101 in cohort 2). There was no significant difference in student performance between offline and online learners overall (74 ± 2.3 vs. 73 ± 1.3; p = 0.537) or with respect to gender (73 ± 3.8 vs. 73 ± 3.0; p = 0.709). Conclusion: In this comparative effectiveness study of traditional offline education versus online instructional modality, we observed no statistical difference in student performance evaluated with NBME summative assessment scores. Online classes were well-accepted by our students. These data show a significant and promising potential for the future of medical education using online teaching modalities. Remote online teaching could be used again in the future without detriment to student education if face-toface (F2F) learning is not possible.
Changes in the methodology of medical teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic
einstein (São Paulo), 2023
Objective: To evaluate the perceptions of students and teachers regarding remote teaching modality in comparison with the traditional face-to-face method. Methods: In this observational, retrospective, comparative, single center study, questionnaires containing three major assessment domains were sent to two groups: university professors and undergraduate and graduate students. The first domain collected demographic and general data on the platforms used. The second and third domains contained questions that compared the perception of the quality of information offered by the two systems. Results: Between May and September 2020, 162 students and 71 teachers participated in the study. A greater proportion of students demonstrated previous contact with the online method, while professors had presented a greater number of courses. Most participants reported that their expectations regarding the remote teaching method were met (students, 80.3%; teachers, 94.4%). A significant number of students (83.3%) and teachers (88.7%) rated the classes as easier to attend and manage. Despite difficulties, such as concentration retention, most of the participants agree (at least partially) that the format should be maintained. Conclusion: The remote teaching methodology, although still incipient in Brazil, has become a reality in light of current health restrictions. Our study demonstrated a high level of overall satisfaction and a high sense of learning from both students and faculty. However, new challenges associated with this system have been identified, such as retention of attention and interference from the external environment. Longitudinal comparative studies that incorporate various aspects of medical education in all cycles are necessary to corroborate the findings of this study.
Distance Learning in Medical Education: COVID-19 Pandemic - Contingency Plan or a Paradigm Shift?
2021
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected virtually all aspects of human life including the domain of education. All tiers of education are in a process of transition to the diverse modes of online teaching/distance learning. Certain geographic regions and areas of study are particularly vulnerable to these challenges. The countries with lower economic development have evident deficiencies in the Internet access, computer literacy and professional qualifications of teachers and students essential for successful implementation of online teaching forms. While certain specialties in higher education (less technologically dense) are still relatively well-off in terms of effectively shifting to distance learning, medical education with its technologically sensitive academic process faces major difficulties. This is especially true about teaching clinical sciences, where immediate supervision and attendance has been considered as a core requirement. By assessing own experien...