Volume 16, Issue 1 (2024)                   Res Med Edu 2024, 16(1): 74-83 | Back to browse issues page


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Transplant Research Center, Clinical Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran & Department of Nutrition, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran , alinezhadnm@mums.ac.ir
Abstract:   (520 Views)
Introduction: The learning environment is one of the most important influencing factors in education. The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a special attention to E-learning as an aid to break the chain of transmission of virus. This study was conducted to determine the status of the learning environment of virtual education of medical students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) during the COVID-19 pandemic using the Distance Education Learning Environment Survey (DELES) questionnaire.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 202 medical students of Mashhad university of medical sciences in the academic year of 2021-22. Sampling was conducted using a multi-stage method. Initially, students were chosen from different educational levels (basic science, physiopathology, externship, and internship). The required data were gathered using the DELES questionnaire, which was shared through a link among the medical students in the virtual groups. Data were analyzed using t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation tests through SPSS (26). In all tests, the p-value was considered less than or equal to 0.05.
Results: A total of 202 medical students with a mean age of 22.88±2.48 years were included in the study. The average response rate of participants regarding studying courses during the semester in the virtual environment was 49.78 ±27.76%. students reported the education status as relatively favorable. Accordingly, their level of satisfaction was the highest in the area of students’ independence (relatively favorable) and the lowest in the area of professors' support (poor). The results of the one-way ANOVA test showed that the average satisfaction score of basic science was significantly higher than that of externship and internship students (F=7.861, P<0.001). Moreover, the results of the t-student test showed that there was no statistically significant difference between students in terms of gender and marital status. Nevertheless, non-native students were less satisfied in comparison to native students regarding interactions between students and colleagues (P<0.03).
Conclusions: The attitude of the students towards distance education during the COVID-19 epidemic in medical students of MUMS was relatively favorable or relatively satisfactory. Therefore, in order to improve the status of distance education, it is recommended to implement methods to increase the support of professors and enhance their communication with students in the virtual education environment.
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Type of Study: Research | Subject: assessment and evaluation

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