Evaluating the Transformative Impact of Online Education on Medical Student Learning Outcomes

Hessah Alshammari,1 Sameerah Shaheen,2 Shimaa Mahmoud,2 Amal Al-Rabiah,2 Khaleel Alyahya2 1Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Anatomy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaCorrespondence: Hessah Alshammari, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud, University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Email healshammari@ksu.edu.saIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to shift to online learning as a means to continue education during lockdowns and social distancing measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of online learning in comparison to traditional on-campus learning, specifically within the context of medical education.Methods: Two hundred and three first- and second-year medical students at King Saud University participated in this randomized experimental study. The research employed written exams to evaluate learning outcomes, with a focus on the understanding of lecture content. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS 22).Results: The findings reveal that while online learning attained similar learning outcomes to on-campus learning for content related to the early parts of the lecture, significantly lower outcomes were achieved by the online learners as the lecture progressed. Moreover, a smaller percentage of online students demonstrated a full understanding of the lecture material compared to on-campus students.Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of assessing the effectiveness of online learning methods, particularly in medical education, to address students’ needs better and improve the quality of online learning systems.Keywords: online learning, COVID-19 pandemic, medical education, learning outcomes, student assessment, educational effectiveness