Abstract:

Background:
All educational sectors have transformed to an online learning format during 2020 because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The pandemic has affected medical education, in particular, because medical-instruction requires an in-person and hands-on training, which the pandemic has effectively ceased in Saudi Arabia. This pilot study investigated the role of e-learning in medical education during the pandemic and perceptions of e-learning tools like virtual simulation.

Objectives:
1) test the reliability and validity of the questionnaires,
2) evaluate the role of e-learning in medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and
3) evaluate the challenges experienced when implementing online learning programs for medical students

Methods:
Completed electronic surveys were collected from 51 undergraduate students from different medical fields in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The survey was distributed in June 2020 and data collection ended in July 2020. Survey questions were grouped into five categories:
1) Personal Information
2) Technology and Computer Experience
3) Students’ Experience with e-Learning Systems
4) Students’ Satisfaction with e-Learning Systems
5) Perceptions of Virtual Training (Online Simulation)
Cronbach’s alpha was used to study the validity and reliability for the survey.

Results:
This survey had a Cronbach’s α of 0.88. Of 51 students, 21 were male and 30 were female. The number of students representing the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th academic years were 22, 17, 11, and 1, respectively. High GPA was significantly associated with the high averages experience for Technology and Computer. Low experience with "course management systems for e-learning" was exhibited by 2nd academic year respondents and an average experience score for respondents of 3rd and 4th years (p=0.016). A significant difference (p<0.0001) was found between the average scores for attributes in the category of "Students’ Experience with e-Learning Systems". The majority of respondents (n=36; 71%) reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their practical training, lab work, and clinical practice. Almost half the respondents (n=25, 49%) suggested virtual simulation for training and clinical practice in the future, and 22 respondents (43.1%) reported that it would be an excellent alternative tool when training and clinical practice are suspended. While only 33.3% agreed that virtual simulation would reflect a similar learning environment as real-life training, 76.5% think that it would be a good support to actual learning. Although virtual simulation exhibited the fewest reports of usage (2.8%), yet 16.7% of respondents selected this method as the most efficient.

Conclusions:
The reliability and validity test showed acceptability for the survey used in this study. Significant differences were shown through the data analysis, but not for all categories. This study also shows that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant effect on practical training and clinical practice for the medical students surveyed. The results also indicate that respondents have a strong interest in adopting new e-learning tools, such as virtual simulation; however, they are uncertain about their ability to replicate real-life training. A similar questionnaire for a larger sample size will contribute to a better understanding of e-learning during the pandemic in Saudi Arabia, and the development of recommendations for the future of medical education.

Keywords:

e-learning, medical education, COVID-19, Virtual learning, Saudi Arabia.