Evaluating the Transformative Impact of Online Education on Medical Student Learning Outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions worldwide to shift to online learning as a means to continue education during lockdowns and social distancing measures. This study investigates the effectiveness of online learning in comparison to traditional on-campus learning, specifically within the context of medical education. Two hundred and three first- and second-year medical students at King Saud University participated in this randomized experimental study. The research employed written exams to evaluate learning outcomes, with a focus on the understanding of lecture content. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS 22). The findings reveal that while online learning attained similar learning outcomes to on-campus learning for content related to the early parts of the lecture, significantly lower outcomes were achieved by the online learners as the lecture progressed. Moreover, a smaller percentage of online students demonstrated a full understanding of the lecture material compared to on-campus students. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing the effectiveness of online learning methods, particularly in medical education, to address students' needs better and improve the quality of online learning systems.