Online classes versus traditional classes? Comparison during COVID-19.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Educational Technology

Background:

• The increasing use of the internet and e-learning resources enables global interaction between teachers and students.
• Exploiting internet technologies is crucial for maximizing educational benefits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of traditional classroom learning versus e-learning in medical education.
• To assess student perceptions of online versus traditional teaching methods.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study was conducted using medical undergraduate students.
• Questionnaires were administered to compare online and traditional teaching methods.

Main Results:

• 40% of students found online lecture material difficult to understand.
• 42.6% of students experienced difficulties clearing doubts in online teaching.
• 64.4% of participants felt they learned more through face-to-face instruction.

Conclusions:

• While e-learning provides flexibility in timing and content access, it cannot replace face-to-face interaction for effective learning.
• Face-to-face learning is crucial in medical institutions due to the need for visual and verbal discussions.
• Assessing online class effectiveness is vital, especially in skilled fields like medicine, to ensure proper content delivery.