Introduction:The Covid-19 pandemic, as the most recent pandemic, impacted all societies within two years. One of the key aspects affected by this pandemic was the delivery of educational services in universities leading to a transition to virtual education. During this time, medical sciences universities encountered significant challenges, including a lack of adequate preparation for the widespread Implementation of virtual education, given their crucial role in training the next generation of health providers. This study aimed to explore medical students' satisfaction with virtual education during the pandemic.
Materials & Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted in the first semester of 2022 on medical students who had completed at least one semester, with all of their courses being virtual at Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences. The participants completed the demographic information checklist and the electronic questionnaire on the level of satisfaction with virtual education and its effectiveness. The e-questionnaire consisted of 55 items in 10 parts of the virtual education component. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS-21. A p-value of <0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance.
Results:The participants included 63 students, 23 males, and 40 females, with a mean age of 21.3±2.8 years. According to the questionnaire, students' satisfaction with virtual education was evaluated at an unfavorable level. However, educational materials(p=0.548), workload(p=0.460), and motivation(p=0.421) were rated at an average level by the students. Their mean grade point average was 16.7±0.1, and the mean average of the previous semester was 16.2±0.1. The comparison of satisfaction based on gender (p = 0.146), place of residence(p = 0.750), mean grade point(p = 0.949), and previous semester(p = 0.924) was not significant.
Conclusion:Students' satisfaction with the effectiveness of the virtual education course was unfavorable. The highest level of satisfaction was in the educational materials section and the lowest in the help section.