The university students’ viewpoints on e-learning system during COVID-19 pandemic: the case of Iran
Arash Salahshouri,
Kaveh Eslami,
Hatam Boostani,
Mansour Zahiri,
Simin Jahani,
Reza Arjmand,
Akbar Babaei Heydarabadi,
Behzad Fouladi Dehaghi
Affiliations
Arash Salahshouri
Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Kaveh Eslami
Clinical Pharmacy Department, School of Pharmacy, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Hatam Boostani
Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Mansour Zahiri
Department of Healthcare Services Management, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Simin Jahani
Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Reza Arjmand
Department of Parasitology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Akbar Babaei Heydarabadi
Department of Health Education and Health Promotion, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Behzad Fouladi Dehaghi
Environmental Technologies Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; Department of Occupational Health, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; Corresponding author.
The outbreak of COVID-19 closed educational institutions and universities. The aim of this study was to explain the strengths and weaknesses of the e-learning system in Iranian universities of medical sciences in the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a qualitative study that was conducted with students enrolled in Iranian medical universities. Data was collected through an open-ended electronic questionnaire based on the interview guide and was analyzed through content analysis.122 students from 46 medical universities participated in this study. 122 questionnaires from 46 universities of medical sciences were completed. From a total of 54 codes extracted from the results, seven (strengths/positive experiences) and six (weaknesses/challenges) themes were extracted, each of which had several subsets. E-learning has both visible and hidden layers in terms of advantages and disadvantages. The e-learning system is an essential tool to continue education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students believe that e-learning was a great complement to prevent academic failure, but it cannot replicate the same efficiency of face-to-face training.
