Students’ perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey study of Polish medical students

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> <bold>Background </bold>The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted teaching in a variety of institutions, especially in medical schools. Electronic learning (e-learning) became the core method of teaching the curriculum during the pandemic. After eight weeks of only online learning, a survey was conducted to investigate perception of this type of learning amongst medical students.<bold>Methods </bold>A survey was conducted by distributing an online questionnaire to Polish medical students. Data gathered from the survey was analyzed with routine statistical software.<bold>Results </bold>804 students answered the questionnaire. According to respondents’ answers, the main advantages of online learning were the ability to stay at home (69%), continuous access to online materials (69%), learning at your own pace (64%), and comfortable surroundings (54%). The majority of respondents chose lack of interactions with patients (70%) and technical problems with IT equipment (54%) as the main disadvantages. There was no statistical difference between face-to-face and online learning in terms of opinions on the ability of the learning method to increase knowledge (p=.46). E-learning was considered less effective than face-to-face learning in terms of increasing skills (p&lt;.001) and social competences (p&lt;.001). Students assessed that they were less active during online classes compared to traditional classes (p&lt;.001). E-learning was rated as enjoyable by 73% of respondents.<bold>Conclusions </bold>E-learning is a powerful tool for teaching medical students. However, successful implementation of online learning into the curriculum requires a well thought-out strategy and a more active approach.