Perceptions and Experience of Medical Students Regarding E-learning during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Medical education has been adversely affected during Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Imparting medical education through e-platforms exclusively was a novel experience both for students and teachers. Even though online classes have been ongoing since almost one and half year, not much data on perception and experience about e-learning among medical students is available from India. Aim: To evaluate perceptions, experiences and challenges faced by medical students regarding e-learning during lockdown period owing to COVID-19 along with their future preferences. Materials and Methods: The present study was a questionnaire based cross-sectional survey regarding use of e-learning during COVID-19 pandemic among 340 Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Science Nursing (BSc-NUR) students. It was conducted in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College and Hospital Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India from May 2021 to July 2021. Students perceptions’ of e-learning were assessed using the validated Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model and responses were measured on 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative data was expressed by mean and standard deviation and significant level of differences between means were tested by Student’s t-test (unpaired). Proportions were compared by Chi-square test or Fisher’s-exact test. A p-value of