E-learning-based medical education during COVID19 pandemic From Medical students' View Points

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Background Most universities around the world have replaced e-learning with face-to-face methods after Covid-19 Pandemic. The present study evaluates the students' viewpoints about the dimensions of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a survey study aimed at investigating e-learning experiences of 550 students of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences(SUMS) during the time Coronavirus pandemic. To data collection, a research-made questionnaire was employed, and the data were analyzed using one sample T-test, Independent T-test, ANOVA, and MANOVA. Results The results demonstrated that the students had satisfactory e-learning experiences and the average dimensions of e-learning were: Technological facilities(M = 4.29 ± 1.13),Technical support (M = 4.00 ± 1.08), e-Content quality(3.84 ± 1.05), Asynchronous education (M = 3.73 ± 1.20), Teacher-learner interaction(3.63 ± 1.32) and Synchronous education(M = 3.59 ± 1.31)Respectively. Most important factor was the interaction and feedback between teacher and students. Students' views on the components of e-learning were related to their age, access to electronic devices, and their computer skills significantly. Conclusion It seems that e-Learning can be a relatively good alternative to face-to-face training, but the teacher-student interaction is the main element in the greater effectiveness of this method.</jats:p>