The attitudes of Syrian Private University Medical Students towards E-Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Autor: Mhd Homam Safiah, Mhd Obai Alchallah, Muhammad Omar ElHomsi, Khaled Kalalib Al Ashabi, Sham Ataya, Homam Alolabi, Fatema Mohsen, Louei Darjazini Nahas
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMC Medical Education, Vol 24, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1472-6920
DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05817-0
Popis: Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the education sector, leading to the closure of colleges and schools and disrupting the learning process for an uncertain duration. In response, electronic learning has emerged as a suitable method for continuing the educational process during the lockdown. This study aimed to assess the attitudes, practices, and barriers to e-learning among medical students at Syrian Private University. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine of the Syrian Private University (SPU) in Damascus, Syria. The study used a convenience sampling approach and was carried out from June 2021 to January 2022. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire structured into two sections. The first section included 12 sociodemographic questions. The second section assessed students’ attitudes, practices, and barriers related to e-learning, and consisted of 14 questions on attitudes, 11 questions on practices, and 9 questions on barriers. Results Of the 519 participating students, over half (55.1%) exhibited a negative attitude towards e-learning. However, more than 60% reported engaging in e-learning activities such as downloading educational content and participating in virtual study groups. The main barriers identified were unstable internet connections (92.7%) and challenges in communication with educators (82.7%). Bionomical logistic regression revealed that negative attitudes were predicted by housing status, academic year, health status, lack of engagement with colleagues in e-learning practices, and the reported barriers of difficulty adjusting learning style, lack of technical skills, poor communication with educators, limited access to devices, and limited space conducive for studying (P
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals