Teaching Undergraduate Otolaryngology During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study

Abstract

Live teaching via online platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic has proved to be an innovative solution during the crisis, yet limitations were still observed. Teaching challenges during the pandemic must be accurately studied to come up with evidence-based solutions. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of virtual or online teaching in delivering educational objectives to otorhinolaryngology, head and neck surgery (ORL-HNS) clerkship students (undergraduate medical students) during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study with a survey designed to evaluate undergraduate medical students' responses toward online ORL-HNS classes. The same set of questions was sent to two different groups who were in ORL-HNS clerkship rotation under different quarantine restrictions levels during the pandemic. In total, 95 responses were analyzed; 32 responses were collected from the first group of students who were in the clinical rotation exclusively through online means under strict lockdown measurements. The remaining 63 responses were from the second group of students who were in the rotation after modifications to the COVID-19 lockdown protocols; the modifications allowed more in-person meetings under social distancing measures. The overall feedback about the scientific benefit of the ORL-HNS clerkship course was positive, with the majority of students agreeing that they felt prepared for future examinations, but not as much for clinical practice. In addition, students reported that lab skills sessions held after quarantine protocol modifications helped enhance their knowledge and better prepare them for future clinical practice and exams. Online teaching technologies might be able to compete with conventional teaching methods, but further improvements must take place to close the gaps between traditional and online classrooms. We believe advanced methods and simulation techniques can be implemented to aid in teaching complex topics in medicine, especially in otorhinolaryngology.