Better online learning for veterinary students during the Covid-19 pandemic

Online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic was difficult for veterinary science students and researchers, as this is a practical subject that requires hands-on training. This study identified some of the unique virtual challenges they faced, as well as some solutions.

Universities all around the world switched to online classes to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the pandemic. Many students, especially those with limited internet access, were negatively affected. 

This study wanted to determine, through a questionnaire, how online learning affected the academic performance of veterinary students across the globe. The researcher also wanted to determine possible solutions to these online learning challenges.

They created an anonymous online questionnaire, with questions relating to the participant's demographics, and the effects that online learning had on their academic performance. 

The researcher asked about the learning tools used, the amount of time spent on online learning per day, how online learning affected the practical and theory subjects, as well as the problems encountered during online learning. Participants also suggested potential solutions.

Almost half of the 1398 participants, from 92 different countries, indicated that their academic performance was greatly affected by the pandemic. 

The researcher found that there were some advantages of online learning for veterinary students, but there are many disadvantages relating to internet access, the availability of online resources, and the practical nature of some subjects. 

The study suggests students require more interactive tools, as well as more interaction between students and teachers for their practical subjects.

Other studies have highlighted how the pandemic disrupted education for other medical students, and how veterinary practitioners were negatively affected. The solutions presented here build on those studies by suggesting how online learning could be improved in the future, especially for practical subjects in all fields.

The researcher notes however that the survey did not have a wide enough distribution, which led to some countries not being represented well enough.

The researcher behind this study was based in Egypt.

Abstract

Many universities and colleges worldwide suspended classroom teaching due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and switched to online teaching. The current cross-sectional study was carried out to analyze the impact of lockdown due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the academic performance of veterinary medical students and researchers. Veterinary medical students and researchers were invited to answer an online google form questionnaire. A total of 1398 participants were from 92 different countries answered the questionnaire with response rate of 94.52%. The data showed that COVID-19 pandemic lockdown affected the academic performance of most participants (96.7%) with varying degrees. The mean evaluation scores for the online education in general was 5.06 ± 2.43 while that for the practical parts was 3.62± 2.56. Although online education provides an opportunity for self-study. The main challenge online education faces in veterinary medical science is how to give practical lessons. Since most of the subjects are practical; therefore, it is not easy to learn it online. Students think that it is difficult to fulfill the veterinary competencies only with online education system. Online education can be improved by making it more interactive, showing medical procedures in real situations, giving concise information, and providing 3D virtual tools to mimic the real situation.

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