MEDICAL STUDENTS' FEEDBACK ON PARADIGM SHIFT TO ONLINE TEACHING DURING COVID-19 LOCKDOWN
The temporary shutdown of educational institutes due to COVID -19 lockdown has led to the transformation of face to face classroom teaching to virtual online learning. The present study is aimed to evaluate the challenges faced by the first year medical students. After taking informed consent, a self administered questionnaire with 15 questions was given in google form. 148 students (62 boys, 86 girls) between the age group 17-23 years participated in the study. The answers were represented graphically. The results were analysed and compared with other studies. 84.3% students opined that they learnt the concepts better by hands on exposure than online teaching. Only 10.7% students replied that online tasks improve their self-discipline. 78.6% answered that the teacher was available when they needed help. 46% stated that the teacher’s feedback helped them in online learning. 40% accepted the need for online teaching to be combined with the traditional teaching, post COVID in their curriculum. The results were similar to the other studies when compared. Most of them experienced the technical glitches, connectivity issues, suspended video streaming etc. that interrupted their online learning. The present study concludes that the medical students prefer face to face traditional classroom teaching than online teaching amidst advanced technology.