Distance learning strategies in medical education during COVID‑19: A systematic review
نویسندگان
1 Department of Public Health, Centre for Global Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
2 Department of Public Health, Centre for Global Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
3 Department of Medical Education, Virtual School of Medical Education and Management, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
4 Department of Medical Education, Virtual School of Medical Education and Management, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
5 Ophthalmic Research Center, Research Institute for Ophthalmology and Vision Science, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6 Clinical Education Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
7 Department of Medical Education, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Science, Ahvaz, Iran
doi
چکیده
The current outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) across the world forced universitiesto suspend learning to limit the spread of the virus. Many medical schools have shifted to onlineeducation as an information delivery mechanism where the educator and learner are separated inspace and potentially also in time. This systematic review aims to explore and understand the varietyof distance learning strategies in medical students in the contexts of COVID‑19. A systematic reviewwas conducted in Web of Sciences, PubMed, Educational Resources and Information Center, andScopus from December 2019 to July 2020. Eight sets of terminology were used, combining “Distancelearning” AND “Medical education” AND “Pandemic.” Studies were reviewed independently by tworeviewers. Data were extracted and quality appraised using QualSyst tools, and synthesized byperforming thematic analysis. A total of 473 articles were identified after removing duplicates and314 records were screened, of which 125 were included in this study. The primary articles were 52primarily qualitative articles. Five learning strategies consisted of technology‑enhanced learning (TEL),simulation‑based learning, technology‑based clinical education, mobile learning, and blended learning.Tools, methods, and learning resources associated with these five learning strategies were extractedfrom the articles. Our review highlights that TEL and simulation‑based learning were more commonlyused than others in distance learning in medical education during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Thesestrategies have the potential to improve learners’ level of knowledge and performance throughmaking online learning resources such as Massive Open Online Courses, virtual clinical cases, andblended sources accessible.