Study on Perception of Medical Students Toward Online and Offline Teaching at Diamond Harbor Government Medical College and Hospital

Background: The UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank Survey on National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures collected critical information on how ministries of education in more than 110 countries continued to provide learning opportunities during school closures. As per the record of the MHRD Government of India, more than 32 crores of students have had to suffer from various restrictions since the nationwide lockdown from mid of March 2020. Online education refers to the process of education through the Internet, where students can seek knowledge 24/7 from any corner of the earth without going anywhere physically. Offline education is the traditional counterpart of online education and the original mode of learning that allows students to engage with their peers and teachers in a face-to-face setting on a regular basis. Objectives: In this context, we intended to carry out a study on the perception of medical students of Diamond Harbor Government Medical College and Hospital (DHGMCH) toward online and offline teaching and to find out the sociodemographic profile of the study participants which constituted the first batch of DHGMCH. Material and Methods: This is an Observational, descriptive study, Cross-sectional in design, conducted at Diamond Harbor Government Medical College and Hospital from July 11, 2022, to August 1, 2022. Results: According to our study total number of participants were 82 out of which there were 63.4 % male 36.6% female. Majority of the participants (85.4%) found offline classes are interactive. As we found from our study population, majority of the participants (85.4%) want interactive offline classes. In our study, majority of the participants (89%) prefer opportunity of practical classes followed by facility of group discussions (72%). Conclusion: It reveals that most of the students found offline classes are interactive. It shows that in online education, most of the students preferred interactive ways of online education. In offline education, the students have the major advantage of attending practical classes, followed by group discussions and one-to-one interaction with teachers. It reveals that in online education, the majority of students found no need to travel as a major advantage, followed by having flexible study locations and hours as well as having the ability to learn at their own pace. Although e-learning has opened a plethora of opportunities for learning among students, it can never completely replace offline classroom teaching.