فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

BACKGROUND: The current corona virus disease 2019 (COVID‑19) pandemic has led to thedisruption of academic activities including medical education which has made online learning onlyavailable options for continuing education worldwide. Online learning has its own limitations, whichare further amplified if not implemented properly. Hence, there is a need to assess various barriersfaced in the implementation of effective online learning.OBJECTIVES: The objective of the study was to identify the barriers and motivators in online learningamong medical undergraduates.SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This internet‑based cross‑sectional study was conducted amongmedical undergraduates of Punjab. The data collection tool was a semi‑structured self‑madequestionnaire prepared using “Google Forms,” which was then circulated in the WhatsApp groupsof the students. Received responses were imported to the Microsoft Excel sheet and statisticalanalysis was done.RESULTS: Out of the 592 participants, 533 (90%) faced some kind of problem in online learning.Major among them were lack of personal interaction with teachers (52%), distractions at home (43.6%),technology failure (43.2%), limited access to the Internet (39.2%), visual fatigue (38.5%), andincreased workload (25%). Benefits perceived were the comfortable environment of home (41%), easyaccessibility of recorded lectures (36.8%), and the opportunity to keep in touch with studies (35%).CONCLUSIONS: The online learning process is not a replacement for routine classroom teachingand clinical postings in medical education. However, it can supplement routine teaching, especiallyduring current COVID‑19 pandemic‑like situations. Most of the students (90%) were facing somekind of difficulty in the online learning process due to unplanned and sudden shifts. Therefore, it isnecessary to identify and eliminate the various barriers to make online learning effective.