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Review
. 2021 Mar 4:12:237-243.
doi: 10.2147/AMEP.S295728. eCollection 2021.

Online Medical Education in India - Different Challenges and Probable Solutions in the Age of COVID-19

Nirav Nimavat  1 , Shruti Singh  2 , Nilesh Fichadiya  3 , Parul Sharma  4 , Nilesh Patel  1 , Manoj Kumar  1 , Grishma Chauhan  1 , Niraj Pandit  1
Affiliations
Review

Online Medical Education in India - Different Challenges and Probable Solutions in the Age of COVID-19

Nirav Nimavat et al. Adv Med Educ Pract. .

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, most educational institutions have opted for online education rather than traditional modes of education to protect their employees and students. Online education has been gaining momentum in almost all countries around the world. This coincides with the recently introduced competency-based medical education in India which has embraced online education. This poses a new challenge for the institutions involved, the instructors or teachers, and the students since they must adapt quickly to the new mode of learning. Online education requires teachers to improve their competency in three major areas; pedagogy, technology, and content knowledge. Some of the challenges include; lack of technological skill, poor time management and lack of infrastructure. As technology rapidly advances, health care education systems must also advance in tandem. To implement the new competency-based system and online education, the institutions and the individuals must realize the importance of online education, identify the barriers and quickly work on solutions for success.

Methods: This review was conducted based on various research papers on the topic of online medical education, the challenges faced by faculty members, and the opinion of students on this dilemma. Search terms included online medical education, COVID19, competency-based medical education.

Conclusion: This review identified various challenges posed by online education on the current medical curriculum, faced by both faculty members and students, especially under the light of the Competency-Based Undergraduate Curriculum for Indian Graduates. Different solutions were proposed to overcome these challenges.

Keywords: COVID-19; competency-based medical education; online medical education.

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Conflict of interest statement

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pillars of competency-based medical education.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Advantage of e-learning over traditional system.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. CDC COVID Data Tracker.Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html. Accessed February17, 2021.
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    1. Ish P, Sakthivel P, Gupta N, Malhotra N, Rajeshwari M. E-learning of medical residents during COVID-19: perspective from a developing nation. Postgrad Med J. 2020;postgradmedj-2020-139022. doi:10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-139022 - DOI - PubMed
    1. India MC. Competency Based Undergraduate Curriculum for the Indian Medical Graduate. 2018. - PubMed
    1. Modi JN, Gupta P, Singh T. Competency-based medical education, entrustment and assessment. Indian Pediatr. 2015;52(5):413–420. doi:10.1007/s13312-015-0647-5 - DOI - PubMed