Exploring the E-learning Habits among the Students: A Cross-sectional study of Healthcare Systems in India

Abstract

During the COVID-19 period, there is a huge disturbance in all fields, including Medical, dental, allied sciences, and economic disruption throughout the world in India. To overcome the academic loss, the Government of India has taken great initiative towards the conduct of online classes and practical to streamline the academic year. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 medical students and involved 3 medical colleges, and distributed questionnaires through Google Forms. Data was entered and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Oral informed consent and confidentiality of the personal identity were maintained. About 47% of the study group were under 21-23 years of age, and females were 76%. Nearly 1/3rd (32%) of the study population mentioned interaction during the class, and about 75% were revealed as educational domains compromised during the COVID-19 period. Overall satisfaction with online classes as “poor” was 27% and the mean overall satisfaction and standard deviation was 2.4 ± 1.17. There was a statistically significant association observed with different online first-class scorers (30%), with offline first-class (45%) scorers (P<0.05).  Based on the study results, overall satisfaction with online classes was poor, and less interaction during the classes was observed. Online classes initiation is a time-sensitive approach and will be utilized in a proper way; responsibility lies in multiple ways from the students, faculty, resources from both sides, and management support.