Evaluation of Curricular Adaptations Using Digital Transformation in a Medical School in Arabian Gulf during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Archana Prabu Kumar; Ahmed Mohammed Al Ansari; Mohamed Hany Kamel Shehata; Yasin Ibrahimm Yousif Tayem; Mona Rushdi Khalil Arekat; Adel Abdulrahim Mohammed Kamal; Abdelhalim Deifalla; Khaled Saeed Tabbara

doi:10.4103/jmau.jmau_87_20

Evaluation of Curricular Adaptations Using Digital Transformation in a Medical School in Arabian Gulf during the COVID-19 Pandemic

J Microsc Ultrastruct. 2020 Dec 10;8(4):186-192. doi: 10.4103/jmau.jmau_87_20. eCollection 2020 Oct-Dec.

Authors

Archana Prabu Kumar^{1

2}, Ahmed Mohammed Al Ansari¹, Mohamed Hany Kamel Shehata^{3

4}, Yasin Ibrahimm Yousif Tayem⁵, Mona Rushdi Khalil Arekat⁶, Adel Abdulrahim Mohammed Kamal⁷, Abdelhalim Deifalla⁸, Khaled Saeed Tabbara⁹

Affiliations

¹ Medical Education Unit, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
² Department of Physiology, Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, SRIHER, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
³ Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
⁴ Helwan University, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Pharmacology and therapeutics, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
⁶ Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
⁷ Department of Quality and Excellence Center, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
⁸ Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
⁹ Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.

Abstract

Background: Several institutions adopted innovative approaches to ensure continued learning for their students during the COVID-19 pandemic. All curricular innovations should undergo curriculum evaluation; hence, the objective of this paper was to share the salient features of evaluation using faculty and student's feedback on curricular adaptations implemented through digital transformation in a Medical School in Arabian Gulf during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a structured questionnaire.

Methodology: After getting informed consent, feedback about acceptability and limitations regarding various aspects of curricular adaptations was obtained from students and faculty, using a structured and validated questionnaire. The response rate from faculty and students was 90% and 60%, respectively. The qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: About 97% agreed that Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment, ZOOM, and Examsoft platforms were effective for curriculum delivery and assessment. 85% agreed that they were able to maintain online interactivity and 92% conveyed their willingness to continue to use these digital innovations even after the end of pandemic. "Lack of interactivity," "missed clinical training," "live sessions were more engaging than recorded ones" were the prominent themes emerged out of thematic analysis. All faculty and students expressed concern over the lack of clinical training involving real patients. All of them expressed appreciation to the university and faculty for their enormous efforts.

Conclusion: Innovative ways should be considered to start clinical teaching with real patients, during pandemic. The learning outcomes of digital learning should be validated across all institutions. New indicators related to "digital learning" should be considered for accreditation of medical schools.

Keywords: COVID-19; curricular adaptations; curriculum evaluation; digital transformation; medical education; virtual tutorial.