Seeing Through the Lens of The Instructor: Experience of an Online Asynchronous Course for Undergraduate Medical Students During the Covid-19 Pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v75i3.11162Keywords:
Asynchronous Learning, COVID-19, Medical Education, Forensic Medicine.Abstract
Objective: To explore the experiences of medical teachers regarding the development and implementation of an online asynchronous course in Forensic Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Study Design: Qualitative exploratory study
Place and Duration of Study: Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from Apr to Aug 2021.
Methodology: Nine faculty participants were selected for semi-structured interviews using convenience sampling. Data was collected through a validated questionnaire with five open-ended questions. The data was transcribed, and manually analyzed using an inductive approach. Open codes were combined to form categories, while themes were generated after constant comparison of codes.
Results: Four major themes emerged during the analysis: 1) course development, 2) course implementation, 3) course evaluation, and 4) future endeavors.
Conclusion: The themes that emerged highlight the adaptability and effectiveness of asynchronous learning, the importance of collaborative content selection, the challenges and opportunities in course implementation and evaluation, and the future aspirations for improving this mode of instruction.
Downloads
References
Vo T, Ledbetter C, Zuckerman M. Video delivery of toxicology educational content versus textbook for asynchronous learning, using acetaminophen overdose as a topic. Clin Toxicol 2019; 57(10): 842–846.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15563650.2019.1574974
Northey G, Bucic T, Chylinski M, Govind R. Increasing student engagement using asynchronous learning. J Mark Educ 2015; 37(3): 171-180.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475315589814
Saiyad S, Virk A, Mahajan R, Singh T. Online Teaching in Medical Training: Establishing Good Online Teaching Practices from Cumulative Experience. Int J Appl Basic Med Res 2020 J; 10(3): 149-155.
https://doi.org/10.4103/ijabmr.IJABMR_358_20
Cidral WA, Oliveira T, Di Felice M, Aparicio M. E-learning success determinants: Brazilian empirical study. Comput Educ 2018; 122: 273–290.
https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COMPEDU.2017.12.001
Brady AK, Pradhan D. Learning without Borders: Asynchronous and Distance Learning in the Age of COVID-19 and Beyond. ATS Sch 2020; 1(3): 233–242.
https://doi.org/10.34197/ats-scholar.2020-0046PS
Castro MDB, Tumibay GM. A literature review: efficacy of online learning courses for higher education institution using meta-analysis. Educ Inf Technol 2019; 26(2): 1367–1385
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-10027-z
Villatoro T, Lackritz K, Chan JSY. Case-Based Asynchronous Interactive Modules in Undergraduate Medical Education. Acad Pathol 2019; 6: 2374289519884715.
https://doi.org/10.1177/2374289519884715
Mehta A, Hull C, Young S, Stoller J. Just imagine: new paradigms for medical education. Acad Med 2013; 88(10): 1418–1423.
https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0B013E3182A36A07
Van der Keylen P, Lippert N, Kunisch R, Kühlein T, Roos M. Asynchronous, digital teaching in times of COVID-19: a teaching example from general practice. GMS J Med Educ 2020; 37(7): 98. https://doi.org/10.3205/zma001391
Pourmand A, Woodward C, Shokoohi H, King JB, Taheri MR, King J, et al. Impact of Asynchronous Training on Radiology Learning Curve among Emergency Medicine Residents and Clerkship Students. Perm J 2018; 22(1): 17-55.
https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/17-055
Persada SF, Prasetyo YT, Suryananda XV, Apriyansyah B, Ong AK, Nadlifatin R, et al. How the education industries react to synchronous and asynchronous learning in COVID-19: multigroup analysis insights for future online education. Sustainability 2022; 14(22): 15288.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215288
Jordan J, Jalali A, Clarke S, Dyne P, Spector T, Coates W. Asynchronous vs didactic education: It’s too early to throw in the towel on tradition. BMC Med Educ 2013; 13(1): 105. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920-13-105
DePietro DM, Santucci SE, Harrison NE, Kiefer RM, Trerotola SO, Sudheendra D. Medical Student Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Initial Experiences Implementing a Virtual Interventional Radiology Elective Course. Acad Radiol 2021; 28(1).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acra.2020.10.005
Dankner R, Gabbay U, Leibovici L, Sadeh M, Sadetzki S. Implementation of a competency-based medical education approach in public health and epidemiology training of medical students. Isr J Health Policy Res 2018; 7(1): 13.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13584-017-0194-8
Kamaludin FS, Ulum B, Faizuddin A, Azizan NA. Asynchronous Learning Method: Prospects and Challenges Among Undergraduate Students at Higher Islamic Institution in Indonesia. Int J Islam Stud Educ 2023; 2(2): 77-93.
https://doi.org/10.24036/insight.v2i2.142
Tong A, Sainsbury P, Craig J. Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care 2007; 19(6): 349-357. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzm042
Ames H, Glenton C, Lewin S. Purposive sampling in a qualitative evidence synthesis: A worked example from a synthesis on parental perceptions of vaccination communication. BMC Med Res Methodol 2019; 19(1): 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-019-0665-4
De Jong Y, van der Willik EM, Milders J, Voorend CGN, Morton RL, Dekker FW, et al. A meta-review demonstrates improved reporting quality of qualitative reviews following the publication of COREQ- and ENTREQ-checklists, regardless of modest uptake. BMC Med Res Methodol 2021; 21(1): 1-184.
https:/.doi.org/10.1186/s12874-021-01363-1
Rehman R, Fatima SS. An innovation in Flipped Class Room: A teaching model to facilitate synchronous and asynchronous learning during a pandemic. Pak J Med Sci 2021; 37(1): 131.
https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.1.3096
Zabolotniaia M, Cheng Z, Dorozhkin E, Lyzhin A. Use of the LMS Moodle for an Effective Implementation of an Innovative Policy in Higher Educational Institutions. Int J Emerg Technol Learn 2020; 15(13): 172–189.
https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v15i13.14945
Baldwin SJ, Ching YH, Friesen N. Online course design and development among college and university instructors: An analysis using grounded theory. J Asynchronous Learn Networks 2018; 22(2): 157.
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v22i2.1212
Cook DA, Thompson WG. Comfort and experience with online learning: trends over nine years and associations with knowledge. BMC Med Educ 2014; 14(1): 128.
https:/doi.org/10.1186/1472-6920/14/128
Alharbi F, Alwadei SH, Alwadei A, Asiri S, Alwadei F, Alqerban A, et al. Comparison between two asynchronous teaching methods in an undergraduate dental course: a pilot study. BMC Med Educ 2022; 22(1): 488.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03557-7
Popovic N, Popovic T, Rovcanin I, Cmiljanic O. A Moodle-based blended learning solution for physiology education in Montenegro: a case study. Adv Physiol Educ 2018; 42(1): 111–117. https://doi.org/10.1152/advan.00155.2017
Shlomo A, Rosenberg-Kima RB. F2F, zoom, or asynchronous learning? Higher education students’ preferences and perceived benefits and pitfalls. Int J Sci Educ 2024; 1(1): 1-26.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2024.2355673
Varkey TC, Varkey JA, Ding JB, Varkey PK, Zeitler C, Nguyen AM. Asynchronous learning: a general review of best practices for the 21st century. J Res Innov Teach Learn 2023; 16(1): 4-16.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-06-2022-0036
Zheng B, Zhang Y. Self-regulated learning: the effect on medical student learning outcomes in a flipped classroom environment. BMC Med Educ 2020; 20(1): 100.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02023-6
Carter RA, Rice M, Yang S, Jackson HA. Self-regulated learning in online learning environments: strategies for remote learning. Inf Learn Sci 2020; 121(5/6): 321–329.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-04-2020-0114
Suppan M, Stuby L, Carrera E, Cottet P, Koka A, Assal F, et al. Asynchronous Distance Learning of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale During the COVID-19 Pandemic (E-Learning vs Video): Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23(1): e23594.
Stephen JS, Rockinson-Szapkiw AJ. A high-impact practice for online students: the use of a first-semester seminar course to promote self-regulation, self-direction, online learning self-efficacy. Smart Learn Environ 2021; 8(1): 1–18.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Noor ul ain, Shabana Ali, Rahila Yasmeen

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.