Perception of Online Teaching during Covid-19 Pandemic among Medical Students of Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: The education received by medical students plays an important role in their future practice. Online classes have been introduced to ease the mode of education during pandemic. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of online teaching among medical students from different medical colleges in Nepal.

Methods: A total of 384 medical students for different medical colleges were included in the study conducted from November 2021 to May 2022.Online questionnaire was distributed to the students via google form with set of questions to evaluate the perception of online teaching among medical students. The link to the online form was sent to the medical students through their representatives.

Result: Among 384 students, 245 (63.8%) were male and 139 (38.2%) were female participants. Maximum participants in the study were from 2nd year (30.2%). Among the participants, 75% of the study participants were unhappy with online teaching. Whereas 51.3% thought that the interaction with teachers were good during online classes. The cause of not being able to attend online classwas poor internet connection (49.5%). Most respondents (85.7%) thought that online classes were safe during the pandemic. The ability to increase knowledge, clinical skill and social skill was better with traditional teaching. More students enjoyed traditional classes.

Conclusion: Medical students in Nepal generally perceived online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic as less effective compared to traditional methods. Despite recognizing the safety and convenience of online classes, most students reported dissatisfaction, citing poor internet connectivity and limited clinical skill development. Traditional teaching was preferred for better knowledge acquisition and interaction. Enhancing infrastructure and faculty training could improve online education quality in the future.