Abstract

Introduction: The COVID 19 global pandemic has severely affected the education system in various universities and institutions. Teaching methods prior to pandemic were mainly conducted by face to face in classrooms but teaching methods greatly changed with rapid adoption of online methods of teaching when the restrictions were placed for COVID-19 control. Materials and Methods: Our study was conducted with an aim to compare the perception and performance of medical students regarding offline and Online methods of education at MES Medical College, Perinthalmanna, Kerala. The study was conducted among first year MBBS students (Number of students included in the study 150) by dividing them into 2 groups (groups 1 and 2). The groups received 3 classes each by online and offline methods as per departmental timetable. The groups were crossed from online to offline and offline to online modes in second cycle. The performance of students was assessed by MCQs based examination and perception was assessed by 12-point Likert chart. Results: Students scored higher marks after online than offline teaching. The online methods of teaching are more convenient, interesting, satisfying, untiring, motivating, cost effective, more understanding and retention capacity than offline mode of teaching but are time-consuming, and prone to distractions. Conclusions: The study shows that online teaching methods are an effective and reliable tool for medical education in addition to traditional offline methods. The students had scored higher the percentage of marks in examinations as well as majority of them expressed overall satisfaction, and orientation to online teaching methods of education. Further studies are needed for its integration into medical education.

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