Students’ perception toward blended anatomy learning modalities in the COVID-19 era

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Human anatomy is a cornerstone of medical practice hence teaching modalities
should be strengthened. Major challenges were faced in this COVID-19 era when the teaching
aspect was considered. The use of eLearning and blended learning is an innovative delivery mode
to enhance medical education efficiency in the pandemic era. This study aims at investigating
the student perception and satisfaction with the blended learning modality at the University of
Rwanda.
METHODS: This was a cross sectional study that was conducted at the University of Rwanda. 115
students undertaking the anatomy module participated and were subjected to the validated online
questionnaire using Microsoft form. The data were exported from Google Forms to Microsoft excel
2013 for cleaning and coding and analyzed with SPSS version 25; cleaned data were then exported
to SPSS version 25. Descriptive analysis was done using mean, standard deviation, frequency, and
percentages. The University approval was obtained.
RESULTS: Out of 134 students, 115 students (85.4%) were enrolled in the study. Learning outcomes
were reported to be clear, the anatomy module was well organized, and timely delivered module
teaching was reported, and findings were 43.1%, 83,6% and 78.5%, respectively. On practical
sessions, students expressed high satisfaction at 87.6%, with cadaver-based learning interest at
91.2%. E-learning relevance was higher than three quarters (76.5%).
CONCLUSION: We noted the effectiveness of online and in-person teaching modalities among
medical students undertaking the anatomy module at the University of Rwanda. Improvement
of e-learning modality and availing prerequisite equipment at the University of Rwanda is
recommended.