Clinical Dermatology Review (Jan 2022)

Usage of learning management system to implement online teaching methodology in undergraduate medical students: A cross sectional study

  • Shivakumar Ajay Kumar,
  • G Niveditha,
  • P Seema,
  • Girish M Bengalorkar

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/cdr.cdr_71_22
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 2
pp. 149 – 149

Abstract

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic caused a temporary roadblock in learning among medical colleges in India as traditional classroom teaching was suspended temporarily. Students and faculty members had to adapt in a short period of time to transition from traditional practices of live classroom lectures to a virtual mode by using learning management system (LMS). Objectives: The present study aims to describe the perceptions of students and faculty members about their experience using the LMS to attend online classes. It also aims to assess the possibility of using the same for postgraduate medical education, particularly in specialties requiring visual aid for learning such as radiology, dermatology, and pathology. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey-based observational study was conducted on 123 MBBS students and 36 faculty members after 6 months of the online teaching using LMS. Responses were collected on their experience with the LMS and assessed using a three-point Likert scale. Results: About 62.6% of the students who participated in the study felt that it was easy to log into the LMS platform. About 58.6% of the students felt that the audio and video quality of the classes on the platform was good. The majority of students (93.5%) felt that the user interface of the LMS was easy to use. Poor Internet connectivity issues accounted for the main cause of interruptions during online classes for 48% of the students. About 88.9% of the faculty members felt that it was easy to log into the LMS to conduct online classes. Around 86.1% of them felt that the audio and video quality was good on the platform. Browsing through the platform during online lectures was easy according to 75% of them. Conclusion: The majority of students and faculty members felt that the user interface and quality of the audiovisual feed of the LMS were very good. The LMS platform made the scheduling of classes, marking attendance, and usage of additional annotation tools convenient. Usage of LMS can supplement the traditional face-to-face lecture classes to enhance learning in medical undergraduate and postgraduate education.

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