Medical students' perception of mobile learning during COVID-19 in Iran: A national study
Mobile learning has gained significant attention in medical education in recent years. The COVID-19 crisis has further accelerated its adoption. A lack of research on student perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics limits strategies for maintaining education during these times. This study ex...
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description | Mobile learning has gained significant attention in medical education in recent years. The COVID-19 crisis has further accelerated its adoption. A lack of research on student perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics limits strategies for maintaining education during these times. This study examines the perceptions of medical students in Iran regarding the mobile learning during COVID-19. It is imperative that these perceptions are understood to optimize mobile learning effectiveness in medical education during disruptions.
A cross-sectional study was done in 2022 among 785 medical students in Iran who spent summer semester. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample. We used Biswas et al.'s scale for measuring medical students' perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics. Face and content validity was determined by qualitative methods. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's Alpha (0.79). Data was collected through an online questionnaire. To analyze the data, descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted with SPSS software at a significance level of p |
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A cross-sectional study was done in 2022 among 785 medical students in Iran who spent summer semester. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample. We used Biswas et al.'s scale for measuring medical students' perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics. Face and content validity was determined by qualitative methods. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's Alpha (0.79). Data was collected through an online questionnaire. To analyze the data, descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted with SPSS software at a significance level of p<0.05.
In total, 1,200 medical students were asked to complete the survey, and 785 responded, resulting in a 65.4% response rate. Mobile learning has been embraced by majority of medical students, with Android devices being used the most frequently. They also have frequent access to the internet, and they rely on a wide range of apps and platforms for academic purposes. Students perceive mobile devices to be highly advantageous for improving subject knowledge (Mean = 4.71±0.58), accessing study materials (Mean = 4.44±0.75), and providing flexible learning opportunities (Mean = 4.40±0.79). Despite this, participants were less confident about the ability of mobile devices to assist with specific study problems (Mean = 3.12 ± 1.28), facilitate class discussions (Mean = 3.33 ± 1.38), and overcome screen size limitations (Mean = 3.32 ± 1.38).
Medical students in Iran have widely adopted mobile learning and perceive it as beneficial for acquiring knowledge, accessing material, and being flexible during COVID-19. M-learning's effectiveness in specific learning activities must be investigated in further research, and concerns regarding problem-solving, discussion facilitation, and screen size limitations should be addressed.</description><identifier>ISSN: 1932-6203</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1932-6203</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308248</identifier><identifier>PMID: 39423220</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>United States: Public Library of Science</publisher><subject>Adult ; Beliefs, opinions and attitudes ; Collaboration ; COVID-19 ; COVID-19 - epidemiology ; COVID-19 - psychology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Curricula ; Data analysis ; Education ; Education, Distance - methods ; Education, Medical - methods ; Educational aspects ; Effectiveness ; Electronic devices ; Epidemics ; Female ; Humans ; Iran - epidemiology ; Learning ; Male ; Medical materials ; Medical research ; Medical students ; Methods ; Mobile Applications ; Online education ; Online instruction ; Pandemics ; Perception ; Perceptions ; Problem solving ; Qualitative analysis ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smartphones ; Social networks ; Students ; Students, Medical - psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult</subject><ispartof>PloS one, 2024-10, Vol.19 (10), p.e0308248</ispartof><rights>Copyright: © 2024 Ahmady et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.</rights><rights>COPYRIGHT 2024 Public Library of Science</rights><rights>2024 Ahmady et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.</rights><rights>2024 Ahmady et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c404t-861a15fcbbfc075fb433ca7da5ea16951bfe9a9f98cfbcbb7f6181918a4490593</cites><orcidid>0000-0002-8163-742X</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,864,2928,23866,27924,27925</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39423220$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><contributor>Namaziandost, Ehsan</contributor><creatorcontrib>Ahmady, Soleiman</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Khajeali, Nasrin</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kohan, Noushin</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Zarei, Afagh</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Biswas, Bikram</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Barzegar, Mohammad</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Moghaddam, Azadeh Kordestani</creatorcontrib><title>Medical students' perception of mobile learning during COVID-19 in Iran: A national study</title><title>PloS one</title><addtitle>PLoS One</addtitle><description>Mobile learning has gained significant attention in medical education in recent years. The COVID-19 crisis has further accelerated its adoption. A lack of research on student perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics limits strategies for maintaining education during these times. This study examines the perceptions of medical students in Iran regarding the mobile learning during COVID-19. It is imperative that these perceptions are understood to optimize mobile learning effectiveness in medical education during disruptions.
A cross-sectional study was done in 2022 among 785 medical students in Iran who spent summer semester. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample. We used Biswas et al.'s scale for measuring medical students' perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics. Face and content validity was determined by qualitative methods. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's Alpha (0.79). Data was collected through an online questionnaire. To analyze the data, descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted with SPSS software at a significance level of p<0.05.
In total, 1,200 medical students were asked to complete the survey, and 785 responded, resulting in a 65.4% response rate. Mobile learning has been embraced by majority of medical students, with Android devices being used the most frequently. They also have frequent access to the internet, and they rely on a wide range of apps and platforms for academic purposes. Students perceive mobile devices to be highly advantageous for improving subject knowledge (Mean = 4.71±0.58), accessing study materials (Mean = 4.44±0.75), and providing flexible learning opportunities (Mean = 4.40±0.79). Despite this, participants were less confident about the ability of mobile devices to assist with specific study problems (Mean = 3.12 ± 1.28), facilitate class discussions (Mean = 3.33 ± 1.38), and overcome screen size limitations (Mean = 3.32 ± 1.38).
Medical students in Iran have widely adopted mobile learning and perceive it as beneficial for acquiring knowledge, accessing material, and being flexible during COVID-19. M-learning's effectiveness in specific learning activities must be investigated in further research, and concerns regarding problem-solving, discussion facilitation, and screen size limitations should be addressed.</description><subject>Adult</subject><subject>Beliefs, opinions and attitudes</subject><subject>Collaboration</subject><subject>COVID-19</subject><subject>COVID-19 - epidemiology</subject><subject>COVID-19 - psychology</subject><subject>Cross-Sectional Studies</subject><subject>Curricula</subject><subject>Data analysis</subject><subject>Education</subject><subject>Education, Distance - methods</subject><subject>Education, Medical - methods</subject><subject>Educational aspects</subject><subject>Effectiveness</subject><subject>Electronic devices</subject><subject>Epidemics</subject><subject>Female</subject><subject>Humans</subject><subject>Iran - epidemiology</subject><subject>Learning</subject><subject>Male</subject><subject>Medical materials</subject><subject>Medical research</subject><subject>Medical students</subject><subject>Methods</subject><subject>Mobile Applications</subject><subject>Online education</subject><subject>Online instruction</subject><subject>Pandemics</subject><subject>Perception</subject><subject>Perceptions</subject><subject>Problem solving</subject><subject>Qualitative analysis</subject><subject>SARS-CoV-2</subject><subject>Smartphones</subject><subject>Social networks</subject><subject>Students</subject><subject>Students, Medical - 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epidemiology</topic><topic>COVID-19 - psychology</topic><topic>Cross-Sectional Studies</topic><topic>Curricula</topic><topic>Data analysis</topic><topic>Education</topic><topic>Education, Distance - methods</topic><topic>Education, Medical - methods</topic><topic>Educational aspects</topic><topic>Effectiveness</topic><topic>Electronic devices</topic><topic>Epidemics</topic><topic>Female</topic><topic>Humans</topic><topic>Iran - epidemiology</topic><topic>Learning</topic><topic>Male</topic><topic>Medical materials</topic><topic>Medical research</topic><topic>Medical students</topic><topic>Methods</topic><topic>Mobile Applications</topic><topic>Online education</topic><topic>Online instruction</topic><topic>Pandemics</topic><topic>Perception</topic><topic>Perceptions</topic><topic>Problem solving</topic><topic>Qualitative analysis</topic><topic>SARS-CoV-2</topic><topic>Smartphones</topic><topic>Social networks</topic><topic>Students</topic><topic>Students, Medical - psychology</topic><topic>Surveys and Questionnaires</topic><topic>Young Adult</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Ahmady, Soleiman</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Khajeali, Nasrin</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kohan, Noushin</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Zarei, Afagh</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Biswas, Bikram</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Barzegar, Mohammad</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Moghaddam, Azadeh Kordestani</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints</collection><collection>Gale In Context: Science</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Corporate)</collection><collection>Animal Behavior Abstracts</collection><collection>Bacteriology Abstracts (Microbiology B)</collection><collection>Biotechnology Research Abstracts</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Database</collection><collection>Ecology Abstracts</collection><collection>Entomology Abstracts (Full archive)</collection><collection>Immunology Abstracts</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts</collection><collection>Nucleic Acids Abstracts</collection><collection>Virology and AIDS Abstracts</collection><collection>Agricultural Science Collection</collection><collection>Health & Medical Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Medical Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Pharma Collection</collection><collection>Public Health Database</collection><collection>Technology Research Database</collection><collection>ProQuest SciTech Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Technology Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Natural Science Collection</collection><collection>Hospital Premium Collection</collection><collection>Hospital Premium Collection (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni) (purchase pre-March 2016)</collection><collection>Materials Science & Engineering Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central UK/Ireland</collection><collection>Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection</collection><collection>Agricultural & Environmental Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Essentials</collection><collection>Biological Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central</collection><collection>Technology Collection</collection><collection>Natural Science Collection</collection><collection>Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management</collection><collection>ProQuest One Community College</collection><collection>Coronavirus Research Database</collection><collection>ProQuest Materials Science Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Korea</collection><collection>Engineering Research Database</collection><collection>Health Research Premium Collection</collection><collection>Health Research Premium Collection (Alumni)</collection><collection>ProQuest Central Student</collection><collection>AIDS and Cancer Research Abstracts</collection><collection>SciTech Premium Collection</collection><collection>ProQuest Health & Medical Complete (Alumni)</collection><collection>Materials Science Database</collection><collection>Nursing & Allied Health Database (Alumni Edition)</collection><collection>Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts - 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Academic</collection><jtitle>PloS one</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Ahmady, Soleiman</au><au>Khajeali, Nasrin</au><au>Kohan, Noushin</au><au>Zarei, Afagh</au><au>Biswas, Bikram</au><au>Barzegar, Mohammad</au><au>Moghaddam, Azadeh Kordestani</au><au>Namaziandost, Ehsan</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Medical students' perception of mobile learning during COVID-19 in Iran: A national study</atitle><jtitle>PloS one</jtitle><addtitle>PLoS One</addtitle><date>2024-10-18</date><risdate>2024</risdate><volume>19</volume><issue>10</issue><spage>e0308248</spage><pages>e0308248-</pages><issn>1932-6203</issn><eissn>1932-6203</eissn><abstract>Mobile learning has gained significant attention in medical education in recent years. The COVID-19 crisis has further accelerated its adoption. A lack of research on student perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics limits strategies for maintaining education during these times. This study examines the perceptions of medical students in Iran regarding the mobile learning during COVID-19. It is imperative that these perceptions are understood to optimize mobile learning effectiveness in medical education during disruptions.
A cross-sectional study was done in 2022 among 785 medical students in Iran who spent summer semester. Convenience sampling was used to select the sample. We used Biswas et al.'s scale for measuring medical students' perceptions of mobile learning during pandemics. Face and content validity was determined by qualitative methods. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's Alpha (0.79). Data was collected through an online questionnaire. To analyze the data, descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted with SPSS software at a significance level of p<0.05.
In total, 1,200 medical students were asked to complete the survey, and 785 responded, resulting in a 65.4% response rate. Mobile learning has been embraced by majority of medical students, with Android devices being used the most frequently. They also have frequent access to the internet, and they rely on a wide range of apps and platforms for academic purposes. Students perceive mobile devices to be highly advantageous for improving subject knowledge (Mean = 4.71±0.58), accessing study materials (Mean = 4.44±0.75), and providing flexible learning opportunities (Mean = 4.40±0.79). Despite this, participants were less confident about the ability of mobile devices to assist with specific study problems (Mean = 3.12 ± 1.28), facilitate class discussions (Mean = 3.33 ± 1.38), and overcome screen size limitations (Mean = 3.32 ± 1.38).
Medical students in Iran have widely adopted mobile learning and perceive it as beneficial for acquiring knowledge, accessing material, and being flexible during COVID-19. M-learning's effectiveness in specific learning activities must be investigated in further research, and concerns regarding problem-solving, discussion facilitation, and screen size limitations should be addressed.</abstract><cop>United States</cop><pub>Public Library of Science</pub><pmid>39423220</pmid><doi>10.1371/journal.pone.0308248</doi><tpages>e0308248</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8163-742X</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record> |
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subjects | Adult Beliefs, opinions and attitudes Collaboration COVID-19 COVID-19 - epidemiology COVID-19 - psychology Cross-Sectional Studies Curricula Data analysis Education Education, Distance - methods Education, Medical - methods Educational aspects Effectiveness Electronic devices Epidemics Female Humans Iran - epidemiology Learning Male Medical materials Medical research Medical students Methods Mobile Applications Online education Online instruction Pandemics Perception Perceptions Problem solving Qualitative analysis SARS-CoV-2 Smartphones Social networks Students Students, Medical - psychology Surveys and Questionnaires Young Adult |
title | Medical students' perception of mobile learning during COVID-19 in Iran: A national study |
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