Perceptions of education during COVID‐19 among agronomy, soil, and environmental science students
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Moorberg C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8206661 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundThe aim of the study was to analyze the perception of dental faculties students regarding the complete transition to distance-based education (DE) and the adaptation of this educational strategy, due to Covid-19 pandemic. A questionnaire to be completed anonymously was submitted online to students attending the faculties of Dentistry and Oral Hygiene at Sapienza, University of Rome, after the end of distance lessons. The collected data were processed statistically, providing descriptive data and analysis of correlation of the most significant parameters, using Chi-squared test, Cramér V and Pearson φ2, Goodman and Kruskal's γ and λ and Kendall's τb. The level of statistical significance was p < 0.05.ResultsA total of 314 students participated in the survey. The overall level of satisfaction on a ten- point scale was 5.39 ± 2.59 for Oral Hygiene students and 6.15 ± 2.98 for Dentistry students. The most common complaints were the lack of a structured online curriculum, less interaction with professors and a lower level of attention. On the basis of the responses, scored using Likert-type Scale, oral Hygiene students reported statistically higher level of physical fatigue(p = 0.0189), a lower level of attention (p = 0.0136) and of the quality and quantity of acquired knowledge during distance education (p = 0.0392), compared to Dentistry students. Level of perceived stress and quality and quantity of acquired knowledge (γ = 0.81 and τb =0.56) and quality and quantity of acquired knowledge and fear of a decrease in knowledge (γ = 0.76 and τb =0.54) are associated variables.ConclusionStudents' feedback is essential to solve the key issues emerged from the questionnaire. New educational models should be define in order to ensure that distance education could be effective, meeting the learning needs of the students, and could not be a merely "online shift" of traditional methods, used as an alternative of live education.
| S-EPMC8327040 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere has been a rapid increase in the number of cases of COVID-19 in Latin America, Africa, Asia and many countries that have an insufficient number of physicians and other health care personnel, and the need for the inclusion of medical students on health teams is a very important issue. It has been recommended that medical students work as volunteers, undergo appropriate training, not undertake any activity beyond their level of competence, and receive continuous supervision and adequate personal protective equipment. However, the motivation of medical students must be evaluated to make volunteering a more evidence-based initiative. The aim of our study was to evaluate the motivation of medical students to be part of health teams to aid in the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods and findingsWe developed a questionnaire specifically to evaluate medical students' perceptions about participating in the care of patients with suspected infection with coronavirus during the COVID-19 pandemic. The questionnaire had two parts: a) one part with questions on individual characteristics, year in medical school and geographic location of the medical school and b) a second part with twenty-eight statements assessed on a 5-point Likert scale (totally agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree, disagree and totally disagree). To develop the questionnaire, we performed consensus meetings with a group of faculty and medical students. The questionnaire was sent to student organizations of 257 medical schools in Brazil and answered by 10,433 students. We used multinomial logistic regression models to analyze the data. Statements associated with greater odds ratios for participation of medical students in the COVID-19 pandemic were related to a sense of purpose or duty ("It is the duty of the medical student to put himself or herself at the service of the population in the pandemic"), altruism ("I am willing to take risks by participating in practice in the context of the pandemic"), and perception of good performance and professional identity ("I will be a better health professional for having experienced the pandemic"). Males were more prone than females to believe that only interns should participate in the care of patients with COVID-19 (odds ratio 1.36 [coefficient interval 95%:1.24-1.49]) and that all students should participate (OR 1.68 [CI:1.4-1.91]).ConclusionsMedical students are more motivated by a sense of purpose or duty, altruism, perception of good performance and values of professionalism than by their interest in learning. These results have implications for the development of volunteering programs and the design of health force policies in the present pandemic and in future health emergencies.
| S-EPMC7968644 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic required a transformation of medical education in Egypt. Public health measures necessitated a rapid shift from traditional face to face lectures to largely online platforms following campus closures. The aim of this study is to characterize medical student use and perception of online medical education in Egypt as well as exploring the efficacy of different e-learning modalities. Additionally, many barriers and opportunities as perceived by students are reviewed to inform future educational improvements.MethodsA 29-item online survey was created on google forms and distributed by social media to medical students across 26 Egyptian medical schools. The survey was administered from August 20th, 2021, to September 5th, 2021. The survey consisted of a mixture of questions style. The medical students were asked about their experiences with online medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as medical students' anxiety, perceived academic performance, and obstacles related to online education.ResultsOf the 4935 responses collected, 43.4% (n = 2140) of respondents were women; 56.6% (n = 2795) were men. Medical students from private medical schools were 13.0% (n = 644), whereas 87.0% (n = 4291) were from public medical schools. 54.6% of students reported that online education is not as effective as face-to-face education. There was a significant rise in hours spent by medical students on online medical education compared to before COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of students (63%) agreed that online recorded video tutorials (e.g., YouTube) were the most effective form of online medical education.ConclusionThe shift to online education has significantly impacted medical students in Egypt. Medical students reported various limitations and challenges of online medical education, which must be addressed considering the potential benefits of online platforms over traditional face to face learning. The results of this nationwide study provide a framework for potential areas to implement change to improve the accessibility and structure of online medical education in Egypt.
| S-EPMC8966850 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The sudden shift of veterinary anatomy teaching from traditional to online mode during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic lockdown was a major challenge used for the first time in Egyptian veterinary medical schools. This study aimed to evaluate the students' perspectives regarding the shift of veterinary anatomy teaching to online mode during the lockdown in Egypt. A total of 502 students from all veterinary medical schools in Egypt (n = 17) answered the questionnaire. The results revealed that nearly two-thirds of students felt enthusiastic about studying anatomy online during the pandemic. Moreover, approximately 63% of students were satisfied with the provided learning materials, 66% were able to understand anatomy using the online learning system during the lockdown period, 67% were comfortable with technological skills during their online study, and 47% believed that online learning of anatomy could replace face-to-face teaching. Therefore, despite the problems associated with the emergency switch to remote teaching, it appears to be a suitable alternative in teaching veterinary anatomy in Egyptian universities during this pandemic crisis in Egyptian universities. Moreover, the study provided several measurements to overcome the common problems associated with this challenging method for future application, such as providing three-dimensional virtual tools and electronic devices with either free or low-priced Internet packages, and measuring students' understanding before and after each lecture. This is the first study to solicit the early students' feedback regarding the emergency shift to online veterinary anatomy teaching which might help decision-makers in Egypt for future implementation of online learning of veterinary anatomy.
| S-EPMC8653125 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThe lockdown imposed due to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has resulted in adopting electronic learning (e-learning) as the means of education in various institutions all over India. This study aimed to collect the experiences of faculty and students regarding e-learning in medical colleges during COVID-19 and to analyse the likely perceived benefits and problems to choose blended learning activities after the COVID crisis.MethodsA survey-based study was conducted among undergraduate students and faculty members in medical colleges of Delhi-NCR.ResultTwo hundred forty-eight medical students and 23 faculty members participated in the study. Two hundred twelve (85.4%) students considered medical education to be severely affected during the lockdown and 219 (88.3%) students found the online classes to be useful. Poor connectivity followed by lack of human interface and poor sound or acoustics were the major hindering factors, whereas convenience and access were reported as important facilitating factors. In the postlockdown phase, 135 (54.4%) students want online classes to be continued in addition to classroom teaching for the cognitive domain, 42 (16.9%) students want it for both cognitive and psychomotor domain and 60 (24.1%) do not want online classes. The majority of the faculty members (65.2%) were in favour of including online teaching modules in routine curriculum and 69.6% suggested a 70%:30% distribution of traditional and online classes after the COVID lockdown.ConclusionImplementation of e-learning within the existing curriculum is bound to be challenging; however, it remains the only solution during COVID-19 imposed lockdown for maintaining the chain of learning.
| S-EPMC7873682 | biostudies-literature
Project description:As the COVID-19 pandemic pushed universities worldwide to shift from traditional to online learning, there is a need to capture the students' perception of online learning using an appropriate tool. Hence, this study explores the appropriateness of the online learning assessment survey (OLAS) model for assessing the students' perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. It included the undergraduate students (N = 2523) of the selected four health science colleges at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU) during 2020-2021. The data was obtained through OLAS using "Google Docs" from 728 students. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed that each item showed a significant positive relationship with its respective variable of OLAS. The proposed OLAS model with five variables showed a good fit to assess the students' perception of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Those variables enable the university policy planners to evaluate the students' perception of online learning during the pandemic, thereby supporting them in framing appropriate strategies to improve the quality and success of online learning. Further research is necessary to include all students of various programs offered at Saudi universities to generalize the outcomes. OLAS can include a global item assessing overall students' satisfaction with online learning, and the influence of OLAS variables on the overall students' satisfaction can be evaluated in future studies.
| S-EPMC9477607 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the education system worldwide faced sudden and unforeseen challenges. Many academic institutions closed their doors, forcing both educators and students to transition to Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) for the remainder of the semester. This transition eliminated hands-on experiences, increased workload, and altered curricula. However, these aspects, as well as students' perceptions, study habits, and performance in response to ERT remain poorly documented. This contribution describes changes in the curriculum of an undergraduate cadaver-based laboratory, and explores students' performance, self-perceived learning, and overall satisfaction during this educational crisis. Online content delivery for this course included both asynchronous instruction and synchronous discussion sessions. While formative assessments remained the same, online spotter examinations included short answer, multiple choice, multiple answer, ordering, and true and false questions. Despite examination grades improving 20% during ERT, students reported lower levels of learning, confidence, and engagement with the course materials when compared to the face-to-face portion of the class. The most prevalent challenges identified by students were those related to the loss of access to cadaver-based learning, including difficulty identifying and visualizing structures in three dimensions, and the loss of context and sensorial cues. Flexibility in taking examinations and learning the material at their own pace were recognized as positive outcomes of the ERT transition. While the resulting student perceptions and performances are unsurprising, they offer insight into the challenges of fostering a productive learning environment in a future threatened by epidemic outbreak and economic uncertainty.
| S-EPMC9011711 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The objective of our study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on learning anatomy and to compare the students' perceptions of "face-to-face" and "online" anatomy teaching, and to assess their impact on student's performance. We used a descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study that focused on a single cohort of undergraduate medial students who attended anatomy demonstrations, at the College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University (CMMS-AGU), both pre-pandemic (face-to-face) during 2019-2020 and the pandemic (online) during 2020-2021. Students who participated in this study responded in favor of face-to-face demonstrations for better understanding of the spatial orientation of body organs and systems, the visualization of the anatomical relations between structures, understanding the difficult anatomical structures, understanding the clinical correlations, and making them more confident about their practical exams. On the other hand, students were in favor of online demonstrations for retaining key information, confidence levels on discussing anatomy learning needs, effective utilization of demonstration time, and lower stress associated with the online learning. Regarding anatomy exam scores, statistically significant difference was found between mean scores of online and onsite exams in one of the two analyzed multiple choice questions tests. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of objective structured practical examination of online and onsite exams in the two analyzed tests. Furthermore, the majority of the students who participated in the survey prefer a mixture of both face-to-face and online anatomy demonstrations during the pandemic and also in the post-COVID-19 era.
| S-EPMC9376010 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundProtective measures like social distancing and staying home when possible were imposed by the public health authorities to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Educational institutions which had previously experienced only face-to-face traditional methods of service delivery suffered from huge difficulties in maintaining an effective teaching process. This cross-sectional study investigates the experiences of students of Hawler Medical University (Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan), exploring their e-learning experience and satisfaction when conventional classroom learning was suspended due to lockdown.MethodsA self-administered online questionnaire designed on Google Forms was administered from 14 to 31 March 2020. The main section of the questionnaire asked participants to rate their agreement with statements concerning e-learning satisfaction using a five-point Likert scale, with answers ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.ResultsFrom an initial 1550 participants, 808 ultimately completed the processual stage. The majority of respondents were female, from the College of Medicine, of urban residence, and of an average economic situation. Three-quarters of the respondents had not participated in any online course before, 27.7% did not have the required electronic devices, 43.3% did not have the sufficient computer skills for the e-learning, and 38% thought that the University did not support the use of the e-learning system. During the processual stage, only 24.4% thought that the internet connection was good and helpful, 14.6% easily attended the online sessions, 35.6% thought that teachers have enough time to answer students' questions and concerns, and 18% that the teaching materials contributed to the course objectives and overall learning outcome.ConclusionsHawler Medical students were not well prepared to engage in the e-learning process. The majority experienced internet access and other technical problems in accessing the online sessions. They did not feel that the e-learning process has contributed to the achievement of course objectives and overall learning outcomes.
| S-EPMC9949649 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Educational institutes across the world have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic jeopardizing the academic calendars. Most educational institutes have shifted to online learning platforms to keep the academic activities going. However, the questions about the preparedness, designing and effectiveness of e-learning is still not clearly understood, particularly for a developing country like India, where the technical constraints like suitability of devices and bandwidth availability poses a serious challenge. In this study, we focus on understanding Agricultural Student's perception and preference towards the online learning through an online survey of 307 students. We also explored the student's preferences for various attributes of online classes, which will be helpful to design effective online learning environment. The results indicated that majority of the respondents (70%) are ready to opt for online classes to manage the curriculum during this pandemic. Majority of the students preferred to use smart phone for online learning. Using content analysis, we found that students prefer recorded classes with quiz at the end of each class to improve the effectiveness of learning. The students opined that flexibility and convenience of online classes makes it attractive option, whereas broadband connectivity issues in rural areas makes it a challenge for students to make use of online learning initiatives. However, in agricultural education system where many courses are practical oriented, shifting completely to online mode may not be possible and need to device a hybrid mode, the insights from this article can be helpful in designing the curriculum for the new normal.
| S-EPMC7836920 | biostudies-literature