E-learning Readiness and Its Relationship with Demographic Factors in Medical Students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background and purpose: E-learning has many strengths and it is easily available, therefore, it received much attention by the Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study investigated the level of e-learning readiness and its relationship with demographic factors in medical students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed in medical students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in 2019-2020 academic year. Using Morgan table, 263 students were selected. Watkins et al.'s standard E-learning readiness questionnaire was used. Data analysis was done applying Pearson correlation, independent t-test, and ANOVA in SPSS V20. Results: The overall e-learning readiness was moderate among students (103.30 ± 15.00). The highest and lowest mean scores were associated with skills and continuous communication (38.67 ± 4.50) and motivation (8.14 ± 3.00), respectively. Findings showed a significant relationship between electronic learning readiness and the academic course (P<0.05). Conclusion: This study showed that general readiness of medical students for electronic learning was at an average level and in the internship period, it was significantly higher than other modules. Therefore, medical educaters are suggested to have powerful presence in order to increase students’ motivation.

Keywords

• electronic learning
• e-learning readiness
• medical students