ABSTRACT
Background: Technology acceptance comprises cognitive and psychological elements about using technology. Objectives: This descriptive study evaluated the feasibility and applicability of the LMS acceptance questionnaire in medical sciences students using native LMS during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study was conducted to assess LMS acceptance and the validity of the questionnaires in Iranian society. Ten faculty members and ten students reviewed and evaluated the questionnaires for the validity of translation (content validity). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods were used for questionnaire items to determine the constructive validity. Moreover, a technology acceptance questionnaire was distributed among 200 users to determine the convergence validity. Finally, the reliability of the questionnaire was assessed by 30 people before, after, and simultaneously. Results: The results of this descriptive study showed that the average scores of people in finding helpful content for lessons, having a support system for problem-solving, and being convenient to use were high. In another part, confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the criteria and items by four factors. Test reliability on 30 students before and after showed that the questionnaire has good reliability in all factors. Convergence validity with the technology acceptance questionnaire showed that there was a direct and positive relationship. Conclusion: The four factors questionnaire, which comprised performance expectations, effort expectations, facilitative situations, and social influence, with feasibility, and usability, can be used as a valid questionnaire in an Iranian population. © 2022, Strides in Development of Medical Education is Published by Kerman University of Medical Science.
ABSTRACT
Background: COVID-19 crisis has created special educational conditions. This challenge has brought about changes in students’ academic lifestyles. Objectives: We aimed to conduct a qualitative study on the students’ academic lifestyle and quality during the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: This is a qualitative method with a phenomenological analysis. The research was conducted within the framework of logic sampling on 50 students with a phenomenological approach to Medical, Health, and Laboratory Sciences students. It was purposeful. Students were asked to describe the style and quality of their academic life in the form of expression of experience during their COVID-19 crisis and quarantine, and then the analysis of the students’ written work was performed using Colaizzi’s seven-step process. Four-dimension criteria were also considered to assess rigor of qualitative research (credibility, dependability, conformability, and transferability). Results: Of 64 codes obtained in the research, five themes and 11 sub-themes emerged. Themes included items such as 1) unknown stress and anxiety, vague future and professional problem, 2) cognitive burden (information literacy, bulk contents, need for self-paced, and need for mastery), 3) interests (following interest and compensation process), 4) skills (self-regulation, self-direction, and time management), and 5) security (available content, exercise, and practice). Conclusion: According to the results, it can be stated that changing the academic lifestyle can provide improved personal skills and information literacy, but changing the academic lifestyle in a negative direction with cognitive burden and fear of the unknown has created many problems in the process of this lifestyle. © 2022, Strides in Development of Medical Education is Published by Kerman University of Medical Science.