ArticleBMC medical education2021
Use of WhatsApp®, for distance teaching during COVID-19 pandemic: Experience and perception from a sub-Saharan African setting.
Article in BMC medical education, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Social Media in Health Studies: A Systematic Review of Comparative Learning Methods.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Nutritional guidance through digital media for glycemic control of women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of perinatal medicine · 2025Trial
- WhatsApp as a Tool in Blended Learning in Dental Education.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2024Article
- ChatGPT's performance in German OB/GYN exams - paving the way for AI-enhanced medical education and clinical practice.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Comparing in-person, blended and virtual training interventions; a real-world evaluation of HIV capacity building programs in 16 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.PLOS global public health · 2023Article
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to palliate to the lockdown and cover academic programs, the faculty of medicine and pharmaceutical sciences (FMPS) of the university of Dschang (UDs) in Cameroon has implemented e-learning using WhatsApp®.
aimDescribe the opinion of students and lecturers after its implementation of e-learning at the FMPS of UDs.
methodsWe designed a uniform teaching scheme using WhatsApp® during the university lockdown. Students and members of the teaching staff of the FMPS of UDs were enrolled after receiving clear information on the study implementation. At the end of the online-teaching period of two and a half months, we surveyed our students and teaching staff. Sociodemographic characteristics and opinions about e-learning were collected using a standard questionnaire.
resultsWe enrolled 229 students and 40 lecturers of the FMPS. Students reported a decremented quality of internet connection (p < 0.001, p-homogeneity < 0.001) despite an increased expenditure related to internet use. Electronic devices were broadly used before the implementation of mobile learning. The use of course materials was significantly more challenging among students because of the size/format of lecture notes and internet connection/cost (all p < 0.05). Perception of discipline compared to classroom-based lessons was not significantly different among students compared to lecturers (all p > 0.05). While lecturers were mainly more comfortable conveying the contents of their lectures, students tended to be less prone to actively participate. The motivation and satisfaction of the latter group toward e-learning were modest compared to classroom-based lectures while their feedback about the organization was positive.
conclusionsE-learning using WhatsApp® could be an effective alternative to conventional classroom-based lessons in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. The use of a blended-learning program including classroom-based sessions could help improve its limitations.
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Registered trials
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