Evaluation of the Experience of Online Classes for Medical Students during Covid- 19, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia 2020

Abstract

Background and Aims: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional face-to-face teaching stopped, which affected medical students’ learning. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia suspended all educational institutions and shifted to E-learning techniques classes in response to COVID-19. The College of Medicine at Ma¬jmaah University also completely shifted from traditional face-to-face learning to E- learning through Blackboard and Zoom applications. Aim of the study was to evaluate the experience of online classes during COVID-19 among medical students in Majmaah University, 2020. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional institutional-based study was conducted in the College of Medicine at Majmaah University. Using stratified random sampling, 160 students were selected from years 2, 3, 4 and 5 for this study. Results: Most medical students ,96%, attended online classes regularly. However, 91.9% of students got the information clearly during the online classes. Approximately 55% of students experienced some tech¬nical issues, such as internet problems. On the contrary, 33.2% of students faced financial problems. Regarding health problems, 63.8% of students experienced increased stress and anxiety, while 68.5% of them had sleeping problems. More than half of the students, 69.4%, were satisfied with online classes. Conclusions: The study has shown that most students were satisfied with online education.

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