Pathophysiology teaching reform during the COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pathophysiology
• Online Learning

Background:

• The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic necessitated a shift to remote learning for students globally.
• Chinese schools adopted study-at-home models, prompting educational institutions to reform teaching strategies.
• Tongji University's pathophysiology teaching team sought to mitigate the pandemic's impact on curriculum delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and evaluate novel teaching reforms in pathophysiology during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To compare the effectiveness of reformed online teaching methods versus traditional in-person instruction.
• To assess the impact of these reforms on student performance and engagement.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a blended learning approach combining online education resources, virtual discussion courses, and a WeChat study group.
• Comparison of student performance metrics, including final test scores, between the reformed and traditional teaching groups.
• Collection of student evaluations to gauge satisfaction and perceived effectiveness of the new teaching methods.

Main Results:

• Despite initial student concerns regarding the pandemic's effect on studies, overall academic performance remained unaffected by the reformed teaching methods.
• A notable increase was observed in the proportion of students achieving higher final test scores (≥90 points) with the reformed methods compared to traditional teaching.
• The revised teaching strategies positively influenced students' internal and external learning, boosting enthusiasm for medical studies and enhancing academic outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The integrated online teaching approach effectively maintained and potentially improved student academic performance during the pandemic.
• The enhanced student engagement and academic results suggest the suitability of these reformed methods for future educational planning.
• These findings provide valuable insights for adapting medical education to remote or hybrid learning environments post-pandemic.