Perceptions of medical students towards online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: a national cross-sectional survey of 2721 UK medical students

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate perceptions of medical students on the role of online teaching in facilitating medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: Cross-sectional, online national survey.

Setting: Responses collected online from 4^th May 2020 to 11^th May 2020 across 40 UK medical schools.

Participants: Medical students across all years from UK-registered medical schools.

Main outcome measures: The uses, experiences, perceived benefits and barriers of online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: 2721 medical students across 39 medical schools responded. Medical schools adapted to the pandemic in different ways. The changes included the development of new distance-learning platforms on which content was released, remote delivery of lectures using platforms and the use of question banks and other online active recall resources. A significant difference was found between time spent on online platforms before and during COVID-19, with 7.35% students before versus 23.56% students during the pandemic spending >15 hours per week (p<0.05). The greatest perceived benefits of online teaching platforms included their flexibility. Whereas the commonly perceived barriers to using online teaching platforms included family distraction (26.76%) and poor internet connection (21.53%).

Conclusions: Online teaching has enabled the continuation of medical education during these unprecedented times. Moving forward from this pandemic, in order to maximise the benefits of both face-to-face and online teaching and to improve the efficacy of medical education in the future, we suggest medical schools resort to teaching formats such as team-based/problem-based learning. This uses online teaching platforms allowing students to digest information in their own time but also allows students to then constructively discuss this material with peers. It has also been shown to be effective in terms of achieving learning outcomes. Beyond COVID-19, we anticipate further incorporation of online teaching methods within traditional medical education. This may accompany the observed shift in medical practice towards virtual consultations.

Keywords: education & training (see medical education & training); information technology; medical education & training; public health; telemedicine; world wide web technology.

Figure 1

Students were asked about the different types of online teaching platforms they used before the COVID-19 pandemic as represented by this bar chart (n=2721). Options included live tutorial by the medical school, live tutorial by other sources, online question banks, online/digital flashcards, pre-recorded lectures/tutorials, video tutorials, for example, YouTube, none or other.

Figure 2

Students were asked the approximate number of hours spent on online teaching platforms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (n=2721). (A) A bar graph comparing the number of hours spent on online platforms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic by students overall. A Wilcoxon test was then conducted which found the difference to be significant (p<0.05). (B i) A bar graph comparing the number of hours spent on online platforms by preclinical and clinical students before the COVID-19 pandemic. (B ii) A bar graph comparing the number of hours spent on online platforms by preclinical and clinical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Mann-Whitney U test found the difference in time spent between the students during the COVID-19 pandemic to be significant (p<0.001).

Figure 3

A bar chart outlining the advantages of and barriers to online teaching. (A) Students were provided with a list of potential ways in which online teaching was advantageous and they were asked to select all which applied to them. They were also given the option to input their own statements (n=2721). (B) Students were provided with a list of potential barriers to the benefits they may receive from online teaching and they were asked to select all which applied to them. They were also given the option to input their own statements (n=2721).