P-01 Online Learning Satisfaction During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Offshore Medical Students in Guyana.
Author(s):
B Williams, T Jagnarine
Year of Presentation:
2023
Objective: To investigate how satisfied the students of Rajiv Gandhi University of Science and Technology (RGUST) and Greenheart Medical University (GMU) were with online learning during the pandemic.
Methods: This study adopted a quantitative approach to determine the satisfaction of the medical students. Data was collected via an online questionnaire from 50 undergraduate medical students from two offshore medical universities, namely Rajiv Gandhi University of Science and Technology (RGUST) and Greenheart Medical University (GMU). The questionnaires comprised three sections: (i) biodata, (ii) information related to the university, and (iii) information related to online learning. Students’ satisfaction was measured using a 5-point Likert Scale, which was utilized in ten open-ended questions in the online survey which ranged from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5).
Results: Overall, the majority (40%, n=20) of students portrayed a level of dissatisfaction with online learning, with a mean of 3.4 and a standard deviation of 3.01. Several challenges were faced which resulted in demotivation. The most prevalent is poor internet connectivity (42%, n=21) followed by technical difficulties and the absence of practical sessions. Most medical students demonstrated a preference for synchronous online learning, with google classroom and zoom (62%, n=32) being the most frequently used.
Conclusion: Incorporating mixed or blended online learning is recommended for the full effectiveness of online learning in the medical curriculum since both pre-clinical and clinical students opt for more practical sessions.