The views of medical students about e-learning during pandemic of COVID-19 in Iran

Abstract

Abstract Background: Iran affected by coronavirus since early March 2020 and all schools and universities were closed. Medical universities of Iran introduced e-learning system in late March 2020. The aim of this study was to evaluate the views of universities’ students about e-learning.Method: This was a cross-sectional study in which 600 medical students in medical universities of Iran were recruited. A questionnaire included 54 questions was used to collect data. The views of medical students on five subscales including quality of content, effective interactions, the supporting system, virtual class management, and motivation management were measured. Data analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test and the Spearman correlation coefficient.Results: The scores of quality of content, effective interaction, supporting systems, the management of virtual classes and management of the motivations were 20.42±7.12, 22.55±8.16, 7.47± 2.89, 12.66 ± 4.43, and 17.26 ± 5.70 respectively. These scores show that the mean of five subscales was in the medium range. Participants with moderate computer skill, high-speed internet and very good access got more score in all five subscales of e-learning (p<0.0001). Time had a reverse correlation with quality of content, and positive correlation with management of virtual system and management of motivation. The costs only showed a reverse correlation with effective interaction (P<0.05).Conclusion: The results of this study showed that Iranian medical students had some challenges with e-learning such as high volume of content presented by professors, lack of interaction with professors, weak supporting system, weak management of e-learning system and low motivation. It seems that Iranian e-learning system for the optimal use, should be upgraded and professors and students should receive adequate training in this regard.