Preferences and perceptions of MBBS students towards blended learning in medical education

Introduction: With the advent of COVID-19 pandemic there has been a rapid shift in the mode of delivering education. A swift transition from place-based offline classes to virtual online learning platforms has emerged during the pandemic. The present study explored the acceptance, perceptions and preferences of blended learning among medical undergraduate students. Methods: MBBS undergraduate students of second and final professional (Part I & II) phases from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, UP were enrolled in the study. We studied acceptance, perception and preferences regarding blended mode of learning of MBBS students using online Google Form. Semi structured questionnaire was drafted by the research team, based on thorough and critical review of pertinent literature and other similar survey tools. Each item was discussed separately and changes were made where required. Then, it was transformed to an online form through Google Forms. Results: Out of a total of 432 students, more than 3/4th of students (78.2%) believed that combined approach would lead to improvement in learning. Around half (53.6%) of the female students were relying predominantly on offline learning compared to 37.0% of male students (p = 0.004). Flexible schedule and personal convenience was reported as the most common benefit of online learning while lack of interaction with peers and connectivity issues were found to be the major disadvantages. Conclusion: Majority of the students echoed a positive attitude towards blended mode of teaching and learning. Medical education is largely demonstration and application based for acquiring skills. Therefore, a combined approach where the theoretical aspect of the curriculum is made online, might offer a more convenient, flexible and effective alternative way of teaching and learning. IMC J Med Sci. 2024; 18(1):009. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55010/imcjms.18.009 *Correspondence: Mohd. Yasir Zubair, Department of Community Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. Email: yasmuhsin@gmail.com