Virtual vs. Conventional Practicum in Pharmacology: Students’ Perspectives

Abstract

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly affected the medical education process, in both clinical and preclinical years. This study compared students’ perspectives of the pharmacology practicum conducted in 2019 (pre-pandemic, conventional) and 2020 (virtual, via the Zoom platform). Secondary data used in this study were derived from questionnaires completed by students enrolled in two courses: a) Infection and b) Health Problems in Paediatrics. A questionnaire comprising 14 Likert-scale questions and two open-ended questions was used to assess students’ perspectives of co-teachers’ performance in small-group discussion and the quality of practicum learning. An independent t test was used to compare the responses. The responses to open-ended questions in the questionnaire were analysed descriptively. We assessed 191 and 344 questionnaires collected in the years 2019 (before the pandemic) and 2020 (during the pandemic), respectively. The mean score of co-teacher performance in the conventional practicum was 3.997 out of 4.000, which was higher than the score for the virtual practicum (3.841 out of 4.000, p<0.001). Most students in both groups responded “very good” (score 4) to the question about whether the practicum learning objectives could be achieved. The mean score for all items was >3.600. However, some challenges during practicum in the pandemic era were identified; these related to both practical (e.g., unstable internet connection) and substantive (e.g., inadequate prior knowledge of medications) aspects. Students perceived that both the conventional and virtual practicum were performed adequately to achieve the learning objectives. Despite the perceived good practice in virtual practicum, students preferred hands-on experience in pharmacology training.