Perspectives of educators and students on the efficacy of online teaching and learning strategies employed during COVID-19 in a health sciences institution

Background: Healthcare education encountered unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the necessary responses have also provided learning opportunities for the future.

Aims: We aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on teaching and learning strategies and the perceptions of clinical educators and health sciences students on novel methods to improve online student engagement in Ireland's largest medical school.

Methods: Two separate online surveys designed to gain insights into the perceived efficacy of online teaching strategies were distributed to clinical educators and health sciences students (medical and pharmacy) over 7 months via email.

Results: A total of 86.4% of educators responded that rapport was more difficult to build online, and 90.5% reported less engagement from students online. The most popular methods that improved student engagement included using polls, a chat box function for questions, small group discussions and having student cameras turned on. Amongst educators surveyed, 81.8% felt a training course focused on teaching strategies at the start of every academic year would be beneficial. From the students' perspective, no difference was noted between the medicine and the pharmacy students. Seventy-five percent reported using quizzes/polls, and 63% reported using game-based platforms as techniques to improve online learning. Sixty-two percent of students described it as a positive outcome of learning during the pandemic.

Conclusion: Any pandemic poses unique challenges to the delivery of healthcare education. These surveys report educators' and students' views on online teaching and learning strategies, highlighting novel mechanisms to improve student engagement and ultimately impact on graduate outcomes.