ArticleBMC medical education2020
The sudden transition to synchronized online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study exploring medical students' perspectives.
Article in BMC medical education, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 228 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
228 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Health worker education during the COVID-19 pandemic: global disruption, responses and lessons for the future-a systematic review and meta-analysis.Human resources for health · 2023Pooled it
- Advances in e-learning in undergraduate clinical medicine: a systematic review.BMC medical education · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of health sciences students' online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC medical education · 2022Pooled it
- One year of anatomy teaching and learning in the outbreak: Has the Covid-19 pandemic marked the end of a century-old practice? A systematic review.Anatomical sciences education · 2022Pooled it
- Comparison between two asynchronous teaching methods in an undergraduate dental course: a pilot study.BMC medical education · 2022Trial
- Peer-assisted versus expert-assisted learning in virtual chest x-ray interpretation: A randomized controlled trial.Saudi medical journal · 2022Trial
- Effectiveness of a BOPPPS-based peer instruction approach in undergraduate physiology: a quasi-experimental study.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Synchronous Remote Teaching for Neurological Examination Training in Fifth-Year Medical Students: Quasi-Experimental Study.JMIR medical education · 2026Article
- Learning management system effectiveness and trainee perceptions.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- A virtual One Health Community of practice in West Nile sub-region, Uganda: Implementation experience and participation trends.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Noninferiority of Online Versus In-Person Training for Health Professionals Delivering the COPE Dementia Care Program in PACE Settings.The American journal of geriatric psychiatry. Open science, education, and practice · 2026Article
- Pharmacy students' use of e-learning resources: a repeated cross-sectional study in 2021 and 2026.BMC research notes · 2026Article
- E-learning Challenges among Healthcare Students: A Scoping Review.Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism · 2026Review
- Medical students' examinations during the pandemic: Performance and perceptions of anatomy teaching and learning before, during, and after COVID-19 lockdowns.Anatomical sciences education · 2026Article
- Scholarly Research Output and Trends in Medical Education from the Arab Region (2005-2024): A Bibliometric Analysis.Advances in medical education and practice · 2026Article
- Flipped classroom and technology-enhanced learning in dermatology education: evidence, implementation, and future directions.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Review
- Comparative analysis of two pedagogical approaches (E-Learning and modular learning) for teaching integrated sexual and reproductive health to nursing students.Journal of education and health promotion · 2026Article
- Development and initial validation of a computerized adaptive test prototype for ECG interpretation using item response theory.PloS one · 2026Article
- Perceptions, attitudes, and curriculum reflections: exploring healthcare students' engagement with basic medical sciences in Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Exploring faculty and student perceptions of online surgical teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study.Journal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa · 2026Article
168 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe closure of educational activities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an unplanned shift from traditional learning to a setup that exclusively involves digital teaching and learning. Within this context, the present study aimed to explore undergraduate medical students' perceptions regarding the effectiveness of synchronized online learning at Unaizah College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.
methodsA qualitative study was conducted using virtual focus group discussions synchronously with the help of a discussion guide consisting of seven open-ended questions. Overall, 60 medical students were recruited using a maximum variation sampling technique; these students then participated in eight focus group discussions. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for thematic contents using the standard (Mayring, Kiger. M. E. and Braun.V) content analysis framework.
resultsA thematic content analysis yielded four core themes: (1) educational impact, (2) time management, (3) challenges encountered, and (4) preferences for the future. The online modality was well-received, and all participants agreed that online sessions were time saving and that their performance was improved due to enhanced utility of time; however, they indicated that they encountered some challenges, including methodological, content perception, technical, and behavioral challenges during sessions and online exams. Most of the preclinical students preferred online learning for the upcoming academic years.
conclusionSynchronized online classes were well-accepted by the medical students. This represents significant and promising potential for the future of medical education. The principles of the online learning model and learning outcomes should be rigorously and regularly evaluated to monitor its effectiveness.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.