Pharmacy students' perceptions on the use of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic: Advantages, limitation and recommendations

Objective: During COVID-19 pandemic in India, pharmacy colleges began offering online teaching and learning as an alternative to traditional classroom teaching. This survey provides more information about online pharmacy education and learning in perception of students, including its advantages, limitations, and recommendations. Methods: From February to April of 2021, a qualitative case analysis was performed on 65 students from TMV's Lokmanya Tilak Institute of Pharmacy (LTIP);Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, India - 410210. During study, focused interview and online survey forms were conducted for all participants. Survey data was transcribed and analyzed with help of expert. Results: These results indicate that students continue to prioritize conventional classroom and laboratory approaches over online learning (OL). During lockdown due to COVID-19, OL was found to be beneficial for students' safety. Conclusion: Overall the students favored offline learning over OL but some advantages of OL may help to improve the structure of pharmacy curriculum (PC) in online, blended or offline modes.