ABSTRACT

Background: The current study aimed to determine the effectiveness of E-learning in Pakistan among the higher education students (both medical and non-medical) during the global pandemic.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a government university in Karachi, Pakistan between April 2020 to September 2021. All participants living in a region where COVID-19 is prevalent, having  higher education status, who had access to the internet and were above 18 years of age were included in the study. All those who were younger than 18 years, those who were in primary and secondary education, and students who were already taking any online module before the Covid-19 pandemic were excluded. All findings were recorded in the semi – structured Proforma consisting of closed ended questions.  Demographics of the study participant’s such as age, gender and occupation were recorded. Furthermore, information to assess the satisfaction towards the online learning were included.

Results: Mean age of study participants was 21 years with female dominance. Overall mean scores for learning environment, face-to-face learning, and E-learning were 18.1 ± 4.6, 23.1 ± 6.5, and 15.4 ± 7.1, respectively. The scores for the learning environment were significantly higher for female students as compared to male counterparts (p<0.008). However, no statistical difference was observed between gender and scores on face-to face learning and E-learning. It was further indicated that face-to-face learning was significantly higher in medical students (p=0.0001) while non-medical students score significantly higher in E-learning with a p-value of 0.0002. 

Conclusion: The present study presented a comparison between modes of teaching (face-to-face learning versus E-learning) from the perspective of the students. The study indicated that medical students preferred face-to-face learning while other non-medical students preferred E-learning. If interactive classes are an option for students in which they can easily interact with the teacher and postulate questions, then E-learning could be as effective as face-to-face learning. However, this should be further explored using a larger sample population including remote areas of Pakistan as well.