Students’ Satisfaction with E-learning during COVID-19 at a Private Medical College.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate students’ satisfaction of E-learning at a private teaching medical college during COVID-19 lockdown. Study Design: Cross Sectional Descriptive study. Setting: Shalamar Medical and Dental College. Period: April 2020 to July 2020. Material & Methods: A standardized and validated questionnaire (SEEQ) was disseminated among MBBS students of SMDC. The questionnaire contained open ended and closed ended questions; the latter were based on likert scale. Results: A total of 365 students responded to the questionnaire with 57% and 43% of the respondents being females and males respectively. Overall, the 3rd, 4th and 5th year MBBS students seemed more satisfied with online lectures (52-54%) compared with 1^st and 2^nd year MBBS students (26%). The students showed dissatisfaction on assignments and assessments being taken on Moodle. The connectivity problem was seen as a major concern for the students. However the students appreciated that the sessions were recorded regularly and available on YouTube channels. Conclusion: The findings of our study showed that 1^st and 2^nd year students were not mentally prepared for the sudden paradigm shift from traditional to online teaching. However the students realized that gradual shift was not possible in the current scenario and were generally satisfied with E-learning. It is advisable to adopt a blended approach initially before converting the entire learning experience on online media