The Impacts of Virtual Learning on American and Taiwanese Medical Students' Learning Perceptions and Clinical Outcomes

Abstract

Research Question: How did COVID-19-induced distance/virtual learning impact American and Taiwanese medical students¿ learning perceptions, engagement, and future willingness to participate in virtual learning opportunities compared to their experiences with traditional in-person learning?

Background and Significance: The COVID-19 pandemic forced swift, unanticipated, and significant changes in every facet of daily life around the globe. Our personal social lives, work, education, daily chores, and perception of personal safety were turned on their head nearly overnight. As the world adapted to these changes, medical education was not spared. Coursework was moved online, and classrooms became isolated rooms connected via virtual conferencing software so that curricula could continue, and new generations of physicians could be trained. Though diligent effort was taken to maintain normalcy, the learning experience was undoubtedly altered compared to the traditional classroom style. However, amid these changes, little research has been done to try to quantify its effects on students. Essentially, we do not know how learners have perceived and been impacted by these changes, so we decided to try to quantify their opinions to better inform the medical education system moving forward.

Materials and Methods: We created a robust survey and distributed it to two cohorts of medical students, one from Taiwan and one from the United States. It encompassed criteria such as prior experience with virtual learning, online learning engagement, perceived difficulty of online learning, and future interest/willingness to participate in online learning. Then, with their responses, we conducted an array of statistical analyses to better understand each cohort¿s opinions as well as how they agreed or disagreed with one another.

Results: It was clear both cohorts had good familiarity with virtual learning, but the students in Taiwan appeared to be more adaptable and overall positive about their experiences. Intriguingly though, U.S. students reported stronger efforts in curriculum engagement and effort to succeed.

Conclusion: Though some of the differences are undoubtedly linked to differences in culture between the two countries, we believe the prolonged use of online learning in the U.S. allowed those students to experience more of its challenges and therefore have a more negative overall opinion. In a free response section, both groups agreed online learning was beneficial for review of material and creating a more personalized learning experience, but also recognized the practice of medicine as a nuanced art and felt success in clinical mastery required face-to-face learning. Moving forward, we hope this research provides educators with insight into the student experience and aids in the creation of programming to help better support the needs of students engaged in primarily virtual learning environments.