Abstract

With the emergence of technology, the method of delivering education has forever changed. While online education is not a new phenomenon, its importance was acknowledged after the recent pandemic. In addition, the recently introduced competency based medical curriculum has advocated virtual or online learning as an indispensable tool. This study aims to record and analyze the perceptions of multiple stakeholders including medical and paramedical students as well as medical faculty regarding offline and online approach of teaching and learning. Methods: The study was conducted on MBBS and BSc paramedical students and teaching faculty of Government Medical College, Kathua, J&K using a self-designed questionnaire based on 5-point Likert scale for data collection. Results: A total of 306 subjects participated in this study including 63 faculty members, 159 MBBS students and 84 BSc paramedical students. A higher proportion of medical faculty as well as medical students and paramedical students agreed that offline teaching as compared to online teaching was more convenient, had better concentration, less distraction, more clarity, more learning and retention, and increased motivation. Conclusions: Our study results showed that despite reported benefits of online teaching, faculty as well as students (both medical and paramedical) preferred offline or traditional method of medical education over online method.

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