Modifications of OSCE for UPM Preclinical Medical Students during COVID-19 Pandemic

The social and physical restrictions in the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in forced transition into virtual learning worldwide. Modifications of assessment tools also had to be made to suit online conduct. This article aims to share the experience of conducting online objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) using several approaches for preclinical medical students in one of the public universities in Malaysia. It summarises the challenges faced by the involved parties, as well as the solution and recommendation should similar situation arises in the future. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

Early Clinical Experience Module: Single Medical School Experience during the Pandemic

The Early Clinical Experience (ECE) module is a module that was introduced to expose preclinical medical students to the clinical skills required for their clinical practice. COVID-19 has forced traditional face-to-face teaching into online mode. In Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the teaching underwent several improvisations to cope with the online mode but still within the framework of four basic components of clinical skills namely history taking, physical examination, basic procedural skills, and communication skills. The advantages and limitations of the usage of online lectures and demonstrations, video recordings, Google Classroom (GC) platform, and written feedback were discussed. In conclusion, the online mode of ECE delivery has its advantages and limitations, and educators need to address these concerns to ensure the future success of the module. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

The Association between Learning Styles, Time Management Skills and Pharmacology Academic Performance among First Year Medical Students in Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The scientific understanding gained from pharmacology investigations is used to support a wide range of medical therapies. As a result, pharmacology is essential in medicine. As a result of the coronavirus epidemic, several colleges throughout the world have resorted to online pharmacology learning, which has an indirect impact on student academic progress. Aside from learning styles, a student's time management abilities are another essential aspect that affects their academic success. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that employed a questionnaire to assess first-year medical students from Universiti Putra Malaysia's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences' learning style and time management skills. A series of pharmacological questions involving short answer questions was also given to the students to assess their pharmacology performance. Results: There was a significant weak negative correlation between superficial learning style and pharmacology performance (r=-0.272, p<.05). There was also a significant weak correlation between deep learning style and long range planning (r=0.256, p<.05) and including short range planning (r=0.263, p<0.5). Lastly, significant weak negative correlation on pharmacology performance and long range planning was seen (r=0.256, p<.05). However, there was no significant correlation between time management and pharmacology performance. Conclusion: Students that use a superficial learning style struggle in school, yet deep learning styles in both short and long term planning do not always increase pharmacology performance. A good time management skills does not guarantee a good pharmacology performance either. Other relevant factors, like as socio-demographic characteristics, that may contribute to this outcome, particularly during this epidemic, should be investigated further. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

The Association between Learning Style, Social Demographic Background, and Pharmacology Assessment Result Amongst First Year Medical Students in Universiti Putra Malaysia during Covid-19 Pandemic

Introduction: A variety of medical treatments are based on the scientific understanding gathered from pharmacology studies. Thus, pharmacology is crucial in medicine. Many universities around the world have resorted to online learning of pharmacology as a result of the unique coronavirus epidemic, which has an indirect impact on the student's academic achievement. Apart from learning styles, the socio-demographic background of a student, which includes the student's family income, parental educational level, and residential area, is another important factor that influences pharmacology academic achievement. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving first-year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Universiti Putra Malaysia which used a questionnaire regarding the socio-demographic background and learning style. In addition, the pupils were given a set of pharmacological questions to assess their academic performance. Results: Findings revealed that the family income had a considerable impact on medical students' academic performance with a significant value for the Chi-Square at p = 0.013. The pupils' learning styles had no discernible impact on their academic success with an insignificant Fisher's exact test value at p = 0.822. Conclusion: Lower-income students (those with parental income below the median) were significantly more likely to have poorer academic outcomes than their higher-income peers. Our findings imply that policymakers can prevent COVID-19 from worsening existing achievement gaps in higher education by focusing on resolving the economic and health burden imposed by COVID-19. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.