COVID-19: making the best out of a forced transition to online medical teaching. A mixed methods study

Introduction: the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decreed confinement in our country from March until the end of term in June 2020. This forced a transition exclusively to distance learning. The aim of this study was to broaden the understanding of fully online distance learning from the experiences of undergraduate medical students and faculty members during confinement, and identify its key elements. Methods: A convergent mixed methods study analyzing: (a) an online teaching follow-up program, (b) two focus groups and a nominal group with students and faculty, respectively, and (c) a survey with students from 1st to 5th year. Results: Thirteen strongly interconnected categories were identified. Four played an organizational role: course planning, coordination, communication and pedagogical coherence. The remaining nine categories were: learning outcomes, teaching methodology, online resources, evaluation, time management, workload, student motivation, participation, and teacher-student relationship. Among the key aspects of learning were those that promoted rapport between faculty and students, such as synchronous sessions, especially those based on clinical cases. Conclusion: the experiences from confinement allowed us to gain insight into some of the key aspects of online medical teaching. Promoting student motivation and participation at all levels was essential to distance learning in Medicine.