ABSTRACT
Background: The suspension of regular face to face teaching during Covid Pandemic lead to emergence of e learning with full swing in every field of education including Medical Colleges. Students perceived this unplanned shift differently. So, this study was planned to explore the perceptions of medical students in a private medical university, UP, India. Method(s): A questionnaire was designed on google form with close ended questions & likert scale questions. Link was shared with medical students who have attended online classes during Covid pandemic. Respondents were 140 medical undergraduates from 1st Professional, regular & supple batch. Responses were analyzed & results obtained Results: Majority of students (76%) used smart phones to attend online classes & Google meet was the preferred platform (45.35%). Duration of online classes preferred by students was 30-45min (54.28%). Usefulness of online teaching by most of the students perceived as passable (Likert scale, LS-2.84). Extent of understanding the topic was not equivalent to face to face (LS-2.9) & internet connectivity posed problems (LS-3.77) that is why most of the students demanded for reconduction of classes after resumption of regular offline classes (LS-3.91) Most of them agreed that medical learning is suffering as practical classes cannot be conducted online (LS-3.98). Most of the students (45%) confessed that self-study was less at homes as compared to their hostels. Both students & their parents were worried about quality of studies & their future performance in exams (LS 4.02 &3.66). Students were not in favour of online teaching in future (LS-2.31) Conclusion(s): Online teaching was well received by medical students but they faced several challenges like sometimes internet connectivity issues, less student teacher interaction, methodology barriers, less development of practical skills. Despite all the hassles, chain of learning did not break due to online teaching. Efforts should be done to address the problems faced by students at individual faculty level as well as Institute level. Copyright © 2022, Dr Yashwant Research Labs Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved.