No knowledge gap in human physiology after remote teaching for second year medical students throughout the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic had a disruptive effect on higher education. A critical question is whether these changes affected students’ learning outcomes. Knowledge gaps have consequences for future learning and may—in health professionals' education—also pose a threat to patient safety. Current research has shortcomings and does not allow for clear-cut interpretation. Our context is instruction in human physiology in an undergraduate medical program from high stakes end of term examinations. The sequence of imposed measures to slow the COVID-19 pandemic created a natural experiment, allowing for comparisons in performance during in-person versus remote instruction. In a two-factorial design, mode of instruction (in-person vs. remote) and mode of assessment (in-person vs. remote) were analyzed using both basic (non-parametric statistics, T-tests) and advanced statistical methods (linear mixed-effects model; resampling techniques). Test results from a total of N = 1095 s-year medical students were included in the study. We did not find empirical evidence of knowledge gaps; rather, students received comparable or higher scores during remote teaching. We interpret these findings as empirical evidence that both students and teachers adapted to pandemic disruption in a way that did not lead to knowledge gaps. We conclude that highly motivated students had no reduction in academic achievement. Moreover, we have developed an accessible digital exam system for secure, fair, and effective assessments which is sufficiently defensible for making pass/fail decisions.

Keywords

• Medical education
• Covid-19 pandemic
• Remote assessment
• Basic sciences
• Physiology
• Teaching