Medical student performance and course assessment of in-person vs. virtual delivery of a pre-clerkship immunology course 3764

Abstract Description The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a global shift to virtual coursework at all educational levels, including medical education. This study compares a pre-clerkship immunology course delivered in-person versus a virtual delivery at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. A retrospective analysis evaluated course content and student performance on identical exam questions across the two course formats. Student perceptions of the course delivery modalities were also assessed. The virtual course included fewer clinical cases (33 vs. 53) but improved alignment with USMLE Step 1 content (78.8% vs. 66.0%) and additional review resources. No significant differences were observed in exam difficulty or performance by topic or module objective, though there was a slight decrease in point biserial with exam items assessed following virtual course delivery. Gender-based performance differences were not significant. Students assessed the virtual content as more organized, with 95% of students selecting Agree (A) or Strongly Agree (SA), vs 85.44% for in-person, however they felt that the exam as a whole accurately assessed their learning to a lesser extent following the virtual course. Taken together, virtual learning resulted in comparable student performance and student course evaluation when compared to in-person delivery. These results suggest that virtual medical education can be as effective as traditional in-person methods when supported by robust resources. Topic Categories Immunology Education and Communication (EDU)