Journal Article

A comparative study regarding distance learning and the conventional face-to-face approach conducted problem-based learning tutorial during the COVID-19 pandemic

Chu, Kent-man, Cheung, Billy, Foo, Chi-chung

2021

Overview

Background Educational pedagogies were modified during the COVID-19 pandemic to minimise interruption to teaching. One approach has been the distance learning problem-based learning (PBL) tutorial utilising the online peer-to-peer platform. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of students using distance learning PBL tutorials using with that of students utilising the conventional face-to-face approach. Methods This retrospective study was conducted in a single academic institution. We compared two groups of fourth-year medical students from the same class: one group used distance learning (DL); the other, the face-to-face (FF) method. We used students’ baseline performance at the preceding block for one-to-one propensity score matching. Students utilising the PBL tutorial were given grades by their tutors according to a standardised scoring system encompassing five key areas (score range: 0–10). The main outcome was a student’s total score (i.e., the sum of the scores from the five key areas, ranging from 0 to 50). Result We matched 62 students in each group. With four tutorials, there were 490 observations, with 245 in each group. The mean total score for the DL group was 37.5 ± 4.6, which was significantly lower than that of the FF group (39.0 ± 4.4, p  < 0.001). We noted that students in the DL group had a significantly lower scores for all five areas of proficiency: participation, communication, preparation, critical thinking and group skills. Conclusion Findings of this study revealed that the performance of students utilising the DL PBL tutorials was lower than that of students participating in the conventional FF approach. Further studies are needed to ascertain the underlying cause.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Abdomen / Academic Success / Behavioral Objectives / Communication / Comparative Analysis / Comparative studies / Control Groups / Coronaviruses / COVID-19 / COVID-19 - epidemiology / Critical thinking / Curricula / Distance education / Distance learning / Education / Education, Distance / Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods / Educational aspects / Epidemics / Female / Forecasts and trends / Hong Kong - epidemiology / Humans / Male / Medical Education / Medical students / Methods / Online education / Online instruction / Pandemics / PBL / Problem-based learning / Problem-Based Learning - methods / Research Article / Retrospective Studies / SARS-CoV-2 / Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 / Teaching Methods / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Tutoring / Undergraduate Students / Young Adult