Readiness of students of a medical university to use distance learning technologies

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the readiness of students of a medical university to use distance learning technologies. The specialists of the Department of Hygiene of Pediatric Faculty at the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University developed online questionnaires. The study involved 508 people studying at the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University and the Northern State Medical University. The data obtained were processed with Statistica 13.0. Forty-five percent of the respondents stated their electronic device use skill was "high", while 53% considered it to be "basic". Seventeen percent of the students noted that they were stressed out. Following factors could have caused the stress reactions: 22.0% of the respondents reported that they had worsened interpersonal relationships with their fellow students, 23.4% saw their relations with professors deteriorating, 13.0% noted their health has gone worse. The most common (91.9% of cases) learning quality control method applied relied on online tests. In 41.5% of cases, the tests were followed by an interview with the professor. This pattern of learning quality control was appreciated by 74.4% of the respondents. The score given by the respondents to the teaching staff for their performance was 3.9±0.04 points out of 5; the total number of negative opinions given was 30.0%. The study revealed medical university students to be highly ready to use distance learning technologies. Careful attention should be paid to identifying individuals who have difficulties with adapting to the use of distance learning technologies, as well as to work aimed at development of students' health preservation competencies that are useful in both in-person and distance learning scenarios.