Teachers’ View on Online Classes during COVID-19 Lockdown – A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Online classes have been started in many colleges amidst the COVID-19 lock-down. Our study aimed to evaluate the opinions of medical teachers who conducted online classes and to determine their views on the viability of these classes in a post-COVID-19 era. Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study using an online survey. Teachers working in medical colleges who conducted online classes during COVID-19 lockdown were included. Questionnaires were shared in the WhatsApp groups of the medical teachers belonging to the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, India. Sampling was consecutive and convenient. Results: Respondents were 101 teachers among which 89 were included in the analysis. The majority of the teachers gave classes after intense preparation. The participants felt that the quality of their work would have been better with enhanced Information Technology (IT) infrastructure. One of the major reasons for favoring online classes was the opportunity it gave them to access the content later (56.2%, n=50). More than half 63% (n=56) of the teachers faced network issues and felt discouraged by lack of interaction. 36% (n=32) of the teachers opined that online classes were very poor, compared with regular classes. However, 49.4% (n=44) favored the continuation of online classes after the COVID-19 lockdown. Conclusion: Despite experiencing problems, most participants in our survey wanted to continue online classes in the future. The participants felt that the classes were less interactive and educational institutions should improve their IT infrastructure to address the increasing need for online education.