Hybrid teaching after COVID-19: advantages, challenges and optimization strategies

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Higher Education Pedagogy

Background:

• Hybrid teaching is a prevalent post-pandemic higher education trend.
• Limitations in hybrid models necessitate further investigation.
• This study aims to identify factors impacting student performance and enhance teaching strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify factors influencing student performance in hybrid medical education.
• Explore strategies to improve teacher effectiveness.
• Enhance students' academic self-efficacy in a hybrid learning environment.

Main Methods:

• Study conducted with undergraduate medical students at Harbin Medical University (2020-2022).
• Implemented a hybrid teaching method based on the BOPPPS offline model.
• Utilized questionnaires for satisfaction/efficiency and compared final exam scores.

Main Results:

• Significant decrease in final exam scores in 2022 compared to 2020/2021 for Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy majors.
• Over 52% of students in 2022 preferred offline teaching, a rise from 39.1% in 2020.
• Online learning styles, learning ability, and student burden identified as key factors influencing teaching method preference.

Conclusions:

• Hybrid teaching remains a necessary trend despite identified challenges.
• Reforms are crucial to improve teaching outcomes and student engagement in hybrid models.
• Further adjustments are imperative for successful future hybrid teaching implementation.