Faculty Members’ Perspectives on E-learning Use during COVID-19 among Teaching Faculty at KSAU-HS, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic's significant effects could alter education in the future. There was an unexpected but necessary transition to online education. This study aimed to examine faculty members' perspectives regarding e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as their level of preparedness for e-learning, considering the epidemic's complete lockdown.
Methods: The study utilized a survey research (cross-sectional) design. The sample size was calculated to be a minimum of 106 faculty members. A validated electronic questionnaire was communicated to faculty members of four colleges at KSAU-HS, Jeddah. Its primary components addressed e-learning preparation, e-learning experience before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and demographic data.
Results: A total of 112 faculty members, with a response rate of 25%, completed the survey. Females made up 50.9% of the sample, and about 30% were between 36-40 years of age with different academic rankings and teaching experiences. Faculty members revealed that more than half of them were novices with no prior experience in e-learning before the epidemic. Nonetheless, faculty members' perspectives of e-learning were favorable, and they significantly improved after COVID-19 (91.9%) compared to before COVID-19 (45.9%). Most participants were enthusiastic (82.3%) about and confident in using e-learning in teaching and learning. Yet, e-learning was only partially used as a substitute for hands-on skill training and assessment. Regarding the impact of the transition to online education during the pandemic, 87.5% of the participants in the survey expressed increased confidence in the efficacy of online learning and teaching. Additionally, the teaching/learning preference of the participants showed that (61.6%) preferred combining online with traditional face-to-face instruction, (35.7%) preferred traditional face-to-face instruction, and only 3 (2.7%) preferred online instruction alone.
Conclusion: This study delivers informative viewpoints on the importance of e-learning and the teaching staff's willingness and competence with it. It calls for improving our institution's e-learning readiness and participation by addressing several individual and infrastructure issues. This is an excellent chance to remove obstacles in e-learning and teaching in medical and healthcare colleges.
Article Details
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
2. Tijdink JK, Vergouwen AC, Smulders YM. Publication pressure and burn out among Dutch Medical Professors: A nationwide survey. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(9). doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0073381
3. Yu J, Lee S, Kim M, Lim K, Chang K, Chae S. Professional self-concept and burnout among medical school faculty in South Korea: A cross -sectional study. BMC Medical Education. 2019;19(1). doi:10.1186/s12909-019-1682-z
4. Turkistani J, Agha S, Khan MA, Mohamed TA. The job demands in predicting burnout during COVID-19 among teaching faculty at Ksau-HS, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Advances in Medical Education and Practice. 2022;Volume 13:913-926. doi:10.2147/amep.s367776
5. Maslach C, Jackson SE. The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 1981;2(2):99-113. doi:10.1002/job.4030020205
6. Farooq F, Rathore FA, Mansoor SN. Challenges of online medical education in Pakistan during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan. 2020;30(1):67-69. doi:10.29271/jcps p.2020.supp1.s67
7. Cleland J, McKimm J, Fuller R, Taylor D, Janczukowicz J, Gibbs T. Adapting to the impact of covid-19: Sharing stories, sharing practice. Medical Teacher. 2020;42(7):772-775. doi:10.1080/0142159x.2020.1757635
8. Chatterjee I, Chakraborty P. Use of information communication technology by medical educators amid covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Journal of Educational Technology Systems. 2020;49(3):310-324. doi:10.1177/0047239520966996
9. Seymour-Walsh A, Bell A, Webber A, Smith T. Adapting to a new reality: COVID-19 coronavirus and online education in the health professions. Rural and Remote Health. Published online May 26, 2020. doi:10.22605/ rrh6000
10. Sokal LJ, Trudel LG, Babb JC. Supporting teachers in times of change: The job demands- resources model and teacher burnout during the covid-19 pandemic. International Journal of Contemporary Education. 2020;3(2):67. doi:10.11114/ijce.v3i2.4931
11. Ahmed A, Niaz A, Ikram Khan A. Report on online teaching and learning amid covid-19. SSRN Electronic Journal. Published online 2020. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3646414
12. Alanazi AA, Alshaalan ZM. Views of faculty members on the use of e-learning in Saudi medical and health colleges during COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Nature and Science of Medicine. 2020 Oct 1;3(4):308-17. doi:10.4103/JNSM.JNSM_82_20
13. Rajab MH, Gazal AM, Alkattan K. Challenges to online medical education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cureus. Published online July 2, 2020. doi:10.7759/ cureus.8966
14. Tuma F, Nassar AK, Kamel MK, Knowlton LM, Jawad NK. Students and faculty perception of Distance Medical Education Outcomes in resource-constrained system during COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study. Annals of Medicine and Surgery. 2021; 62:377-382. doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2021.01.073
15. Nimavat N, Singh S, Fichadiya N, et al. Online medical education in India – different challenges and probable solutions in the age of covid-19. Advances in Medical Education and Practice. 2021;Volume 12:237-243. doi:1 0.2147/amep.s295728
16. Vishwanathan K, Patel GM, Patel DJ. Medical faculty perception toward digital teaching methods during COVID-19 pandemic: experience from India. Journal of education and health promotion. 2021 Jan 1;10(1):95.
17. Radha R, Mahalakshmi K, Kumar VS, Saravanakumar AR. E-Learning during lockdown of Covid-19 pandemic: A global perspective. International journal of control and automation. 2020 Jun;13(4):1088-99.
18. Childs S, Blenkinsopp E, Hall A, Walton G. Effective e‐learning for health professionals and students—barriers and their solutions. A systematic review of the literature—findings from the HEXL project. Health Information & Libraries Journal. 2005;22(s2):20-32. doi:10.1111/j.1470-3327.2005.00614.x
19. Makhdoom N, Khoshhal KI, Algaidi S, Heissam K, Zolaly MA. ‘blended learning’ as an effective teaching and learning strategy in Clinical Medicine: A Comparative cross-sectional university-based study. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences. 2013;8 (1):12-17. doi:10.1016/j.jtumed.2013.01.002
20. Ashouri E, Sheikhaboumasoudi R, Bagheri M, Hosseini S, Elahi N. Improving nursing students’ learning outcomes in fundamentals of nursing course through combination of traditional and e-learning methods. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research. 2018;23(3):217. doi:10.4 103/ijnmr.ijnmr_79_17
21. June H, Leong H. Implications of e-learning on learning and teaching in higher education. Implications of E-Learning on Learning and Teaching in Higher Education | Worldwide CDIO Initiative. June 13, 2006. Accessed April 12, 2024. http://cdio.org/node/6039.
22. Aveiro-Róbalo TR. Distance learning and its relation to medical education in the present times. Seminars in Medical Writing and Education. 2022;1:10. doi:10.56294/mw 202210
23. Bediang G, Stoll B, Geissbuhler A, et al. Computer Literacy and e-learning perception in Cameroon: The case of yaounde faculty of medicine and biomedical sciences. BMC Medical Education. 2013;13(1). doi:10.1186/ 1472-6920-13-57
24. Fatima R, Neanam N. E-Learning in Education: Concept, Tools and Models. International Journal of Research. 2018 Nov;5:1388-98.
25. Salas‐Pilco SZ, Yang Y, Zhang Z. Student engagement in online learning in Latin American higher education during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A systematic review. British Journal of Educational Technology. 2022;53(3):593-619. doi:10.1111/bjet.13190
26. Ma K, Liang L, Chutiyami M, Nicoll S, Khaerudin T, Ha XV. Covid-19 pandemic-related anxiety, stress, and depression among teachers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Work. 2022;73(1):3-27. doi:10.3233/ wor-220062
27. Akram Z, Sethi A, Khan AM, Zaidi FZ. Assessment of burnout and associated factors among medical educators. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. 2021;37(3). doi:10.12669/ pjms.37.3.3078