The effect of online-teaching and simulated-training during COVID-19 Lockdown on students (An Audit and Survey)

Abstract

Introduction: Through the covid period the concept of distant, online, and hybrid learning evolved in reaction to lockdown.This hindered the capability of students to receive and practice on patients as they should do.Methodology: The current study compared data from two classes that had different education systems because of COVID-19.Class 2020 had nearly a complete online teaching of the theoretical part, practical, and minimal patient interaction. Class 2021had the opportunity to try both systems because of the partial lockdown in 2020 and the complete return to work in 2021.Results: There was a significant improvement in pass percentage after returning to the ordinary in-class system (P = 0.0389).There was a statistically significant (P=0.02) dissatisfaction by class 2020 regarding the quality of practical teaching duringlockdown (55% of students) compared to 30% of students’ dissatisfaction in 2021 in the classroom. There was no statisticalsignificance between both classes regarding the fact that patients provide better skills compared to dummies and models;91% of students in the case of 2020 preferred real-time patients and 85% of students in class 2021. There was a statisticallysignificant satisfaction regarding overall satisfaction from the education system (p=0.003) in class 2021 compared to class2020; where 93% of 2021 were satisfied compared to 65% of students in 2020 were satisfied.Conclusion: Any disruption to the technical real-life training on patients violates and affects the quality of training; maybe thistype of training can be used as an introductory phase before clinical training.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT06009913