Views on virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical and paramedical students in India

Yuvaraj Maria Francis; P K Sankaran; C P Kirthika; Balaji Karunakaran; S Sathish Kumar; D Karthikeyan; Madhan Krishnan; Shyamaladevi Babu

doi:10.6026/97320630018518

Views on virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic among medical and paramedical students in India

Bioinformation. 2022 Jun 30;18(6):518-524. doi: 10.6026/97320630018518. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yuvaraj Maria Francis¹, P K Sankaran², C P Kirthika³, Balaji Karunakaran¹, S Sathish Kumar⁴, D Karthikeyan⁵, Madhan Krishnan⁶, Shyamaladevi Babu⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Medical College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Thandalam, Chennai- 602 105, India.
² Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Mangalagiri -52008, Andhra Pradesh, India.
³ Department of Anatomy, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Porur, Chennai : 6000116, India.
⁴ Department of Community Medicine, Vinayaka Missions Medical College and Hospital, Karaikal, Pondicherry, India.
⁵ Department of Microbiology, Vinayaka Missions Medical College and Hospital, Deemed university, Karaikal, Pondicherry, India.
⁶ Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, chengalpattu- 603103 India.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the educational institutions to implement the mandatory virtual learning in medical education. It is undeniable that electronic gadget aided learning have a significant role to play during a pandemic. Both faculty and students are getting accustomed to this 'New Normalcy'. Therefore, it is of interest to determine the effectiveness and perception of virtual teaching and learning during the COVID 19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in which 336 medical and 336 paramedical students of both the genders with age group of 17 - 21 years participated. The data obtained were analyzed using the SPSS software. The shift from class room teaching to virtual learning has led to many health issues among students such as eye strain, anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal problems and obesity. The students also had inadequate time to interact with faculties. Data shows that virtual learning an alternative mode to traditional method during a pandemic.

Keywords: COVID 19 pandemic; Education; Medical students; Perceptions; Virtual learning and teaching.