Perception of medical students towards virtual learning of pathology courses at the college of medicine, University of Bahri, 2022

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual learning in medical education. Pathology, a key preclinical course, was delivered online at the University of Bahri. Understanding students' perceptions of virtual learning in a low resource setting is essential for optimizing educational strategies. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 271 medical students using total coverage sampling and only 160 valid questionnaires were returned. Data were collected via a structured self-administered online questionnaire assessing demographics, socioeconomic status, preferred virtual learning platform, resource availability, attitudes, motivation, interactions, course-specific perceptions, and perceived academic performance comparisons in virtual versus traditional learning. The data were analyzed via SPSS version 25 with a significance level set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Of the 160 respondents, 75% were female. In general, our students demonstrated a neutral perception of virtual versus traditional learning. The students found virtual learning to be feasible and appreciated the asynchronous access for the Pathology II course. Telegram was the most preferred platform (82.5%). The correlations between perceptions and gender, socioeconomic status, and living situation were not significant. Face-to-face contact during learning is highly appreciated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Overall, our results indicate a neutral perception of virtual versus traditional learning. The students expressed a more positive perception of virtual learning in the Pathology II course than in the Pathology I course. The combination of both traditional face-to-face and virtual learning strategies may be more appropriate for our students.