Indian medical student perspectives on online mode of education

The coronavirus pandemic has led to drastic changes in the education system globally. The medical education curriculum has also undergone a significant drift from traditional or physical classes to online classes. The study aims to explore the viewpoints of the Indian medical students toward online classes, their ramifications, and suggestions for improvement.

The self-administered online questionnaire using the Google form was developed, validated, and circulated among students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The data of the survey were systematically analyzed by descriptive statistics.

A total of 223 students filled the Google form. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 171 students were finalized, and the analysis was done. The data suggested that 49.7% of the participants were facing technical glitches, poor Internet connectivity being the commonest. Eye straining (56.7%) was the major physical health hazard, whereas lack of concentration (53.8%) was the major psychological issue reported by the students. The major advantage of online classes reported was its accessibility (93%) at any time and place, whereas students also reported that the traditional learning method is more interactive and motivating (72.5%). Overall, 72.5% of the students wanted to continue both modes of education after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

As per the analysis of the results, it is concluded that, since both online and offline modes of education have advantages and disadvantages, henceforth, mixed or blended method of learning is the best form of learning medical science.