Evaluation of an Epidemiological Skills Laboratory Course Using a Direct Teaching and Online Flipped Classroom Method in Iran: An Interventional Study

Background and aims: The epidemiological skills laboratory (ESL) course has been incorporated into the curriculum for Master of Science students in epidemiology. However, it has not been implemented and evaluated in Iran so far. The present study was conducted to compare two teaching methods and the implementation of an ESL lesson. Methods: All MSc students (N=9) in epidemiology at Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences were included in the study during two academic semesters in 2019-2020 using a census sampling method. Three levels of Kirkpatrick’s pyramid were used to evaluate direct teaching and electronic flipped classroom (FC) groups. The Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, paired t-test, and independent t-test were used in Stata software with a significance level<0.05. Results: The means±standard deviations (SD) of scores of pre- and post-instructional interventions were 42.1±8.4 and 96.6±2.1 in the intervention group with the FC method and 41.3±3.2 and 77.3±4.7 in the direct teaching group. The means±SDs of satisfaction scores of pre- and post-instructional interventions were 67.8±1.6 and 97.6±5.6 in the intervention group with the FC method and 45.3±5 and 87.3±4.5 in the direct teaching group. Conclusion: Under the conditions of the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic, mainly the virtualization of students’ education and easy access to virtual education systems to convey instructional content, it is a pleasurable opportunity to use the electronic FC method to teach students. The FC method could improve the students’ epidemiological skills and increase their satisfaction.