COVID-19 Pandemic Disrupts Medical Education, Affects Students' Learning and Social Interactions

Strategic Insights -

The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has brought significant disruption to medical education, forcing students to adapt to remote learning and changed curriculum delivery from in-person to online learning and virtual technology. A research study conducted by King Saud University explored the trends and ratings of using Internet resources and social media platforms by medical students during the pandemic. The study found that the use of the Internet and social media resources increased significantly among students to fill the gap in learning and social interaction.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study involved 320 undergraduate medical students from King Saud University, who responded to an online questionnaire.
  • The difference in the number of students using the Internet daily across academic years increased significantly as they progressed in the medical course (p = 0.025).
  • For learning, YouTube and Videoconferencing (e.g. Zoom) were used by 83.1% and 73.4% of students, respectively, followed by WhatsApp 198 (61.9%).
  • For social interaction, WhatsApp, YouTube, Twitter, and Zoom were the platforms used by most students, with 96.6%, 92.8%, 90%, and 84.1% users, respectively.
  • The study found that technology helped students gain a sense of connectedness to their peers, with 78.1% agreeing, and over half of students (58.4%) wished for technologies to be integrated more often in their courses.
  • The study concluded that medical institutions should embrace the effective use of Internet resources and use the experience gained and lessons learned in guiding educators on what type of online resources should be created to add value to students' learning even post-pandemic.

Statistics:

  • 320 undergraduate medical students responded to the online questionnaire.
  • The difference in the number of students using the Internet daily across academic years increased by 0.025.
  • 83.1% of students used YouTube for learning, while 73.4% used Videoconferencing (e.g. Zoom).
  • 61.9% of students used WhatsApp for learning, followed by YouTube (61.9%).
  • 96.6% of students used WhatsApp for social interaction, while 92.8% used YouTube.
  • 90% of students used Twitter for social interaction, and 84.1% used Zoom.

Sources:

  • Online learning resources and social media platforms used by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Medical Education, 2023;23(1):969.
  • King Saud University Reports Findings in COVID-19 (Online learning resources and social media platforms used by medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic). Journal of Engineering. January 1, 2024; p 12.