How COVID-19 kick-started online learning in medical education-The DigiMed study

Stoehr F, Müller L, Brady A, Trilla A, Mähringer-Kunz A, Hahn F, Düber C, Becker N, Wörns MA, Chapiro J, Hinrichs JB, Akata D, Ellmann S, Huisman M, Koff D, Brinkmann S, Bamberg F, Zimmermann O, Traikova NI, Marquardt JU, Chang DH, Rengier F, Auer TA, Emrich T, Muehler F, Schmidberger H, Baeßler B, dos Santos DP, Kloeckner R (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Book Volume: 16

Article Number: e0257394

Journal Issue: 9 September

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257394

Abstract

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic led to far-reaching restrictions of social and professional life, affecting societies all over the world. To contain the virus, medical schools had to restructure their curriculum by switching to online learning. However, only few medical schools had implemented such novel learning concepts. We aimed to evaluate students' attitudes to online learning to provide a broad scientific basis to guide future development of medical education. Methods Overall, 3286 medical students from 12 different countries participated in this cross-sectional, web-based study investigating various aspects of online learning in medical education. On a 7-point Likert scale, participants rated the online learning situation during the pandemic at their medical schools, technical and social aspects, and the current and future role of online learning in medical education. Results The majority of medical schools managed the rapid switch to online learning (78%) and most students were satisfied with the quantity (67%) and quality (62%) of the courses. Online learning provided greater flexibility (84%) and led to unchanged or even higher attendance of courses (70%). Possible downsides included motivational problems (42%), insufficient possibilities for interaction with fellow students (67%) and thus the risk of social isolation (64%). The vast majority felt comfortable using the software solutions (80%). Most were convinced that medical education lags behind current capabilities regarding online learning (78%) and estimated the proportion of online learning before the pandemic at only 14%. In order to improve the current curriculum, they wish for a more balanced ratio with at least 40% of online teaching compared to on-site teaching. Conclusion This study demonstrates the positive attitude of medical students towards online learning. Furthermore, it reveals a considerable discrepancy between what students demand and what the curriculum offers. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic might be the long-awaited catalyst for a new "online era"in medical education.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Universitätsmedizin der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz Germany (DE) Mercy University Hospital Ireland (IE) Hospital Clínic de Barcelona Spain (ES) Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) Germany (DE) Plovdiv Medical University / Медицински университет в Пловдив Bulgaria (BG) Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH) Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg Germany (DE) Yale School of Medicine United States (USA) (US) Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (MHH) / Hannover Medical School Germany (DE) Hacettepe University Turkey (TR) Meander Medisch Centrum Netherlands (NL) McMaster University Canada (CA) Universitätsklinikum Köln Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum Freiburg Germany (DE) Berliner Institut für Gesundheitsforschung (BIH) Germany (DE) Universitätsklinikum Würzburg Germany (DE) Universitätsspital Zürich (USZ) Switzerland (CH)

How to cite

APA:

Stoehr, F., Müller, L., Brady, A., Trilla, A., Mähringer-Kunz, A., Hahn, F.,... Kloeckner, R. (2021). How COVID-19 kick-started online learning in medical education-The DigiMed study. PLoS ONE, 16(9 September). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257394

MLA:

Stoehr, Fabian, et al. "How COVID-19 kick-started online learning in medical education-The DigiMed study." PLoS ONE 16.9 September (2021).

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