Radiography and Medical Imaging Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, UAE; Radiologic Technology Program, Applied Medical Sciences College, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Jordan.
Radiography and Medical Imaging Department, Fatima College of Health Sciences, UAE.
J Med Imaging Radiat Sci. 2021 Dec;52(4S):S68-S77. doi: 10.1016/j.jmir.2021.07.009. Epub 2021 Aug 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to significant changes to academic program delivery worldwide. Face to face (traditional teaching) lectures were replaced with online, recorded, or live sessions; however, online systems are not an efficient substitute for clinical or laboratory courses. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the imaging student's perspective on COVID-19 awareness to ensure they are prepared for clinical training and laboratory education, and to evaluate the teaching quality of the online radiography program delivery.
An online survey was conducted with radiography and medical imaging students of two female campuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Knowledge and awareness level of COVID-19, such as symptoms and diagnostic tests, were evaluated using multiple choice questions. The Likert scale (1-5) was used to evaluate the teaching quality of the online learning of radiography, such as critical thinking and communication skills. Open-ended questions were included for students to provide comments and feedback.
Out of 305 female students, 212 participants (71%) responded and were included in the study. The average age was 20 years, and respondents were from different study levels (year 1-year 5), with 47% and 53% of the participants from Al Ain campus and Abu Dhabi campus, respectively. Seventy percent of the respondents reported a Bachelor degree, while 30% were higher Diploma participants. The overall COVID-19 awareness level mean score was acceptable (70%). Senior students with a Bachelor degree and clinical experience scored higher than other students (72% vs. 65%, P<0.05). The mode value of the Likert scale for the teaching factors assessment (1-5) for most of the respondents showed average (mode=3) response value. However, the mode for the stress factor was high (mode=5). The overall online radiography teaching satisfaction for the teaching quality factors was less than 50%. However, more than half of the respondents (52%) recommended delivering the radiography program using the online learning system.
COVID-19 imposed several challenges to the educational systems worldwide, requiring implementation of effective strategies to improve the current online teaching. Effective communication between instructors and students, engaging students with case studies discussion, and encouraging students to think critically and to be creative are important strategies.
Online delivery of the radiography and medical imaging program imposes challenges for laboratory and clinical courses. It is recommended that academic institutions implement state of art technology to bridge the gap between traditional and online learning methods during the pandemic. Students are suggested to be mentally prepared to accept the shifting of the teaching mode to relieve stress and gain knowledge and practical skills more efficiently.
COVID-19 大流行导致全球学术课程的教学方式发生了重大变化。面对面（传统教学）讲座已被在线、录制或直播课程取代；然而，在线系统并不是临床或实验室课程的有效替代方案。本研究的目的是评估影像学生对 COVID-19 意识的看法，以确保他们为临床培训和实验室教育做好准备，并评估在线放射学课程教学质量。
在阿联酋的两所女子学院（阿联酋）的放射学和医学影像学学生中进行了在线调查。使用多项选择题评估 COVID-19 的症状和诊断测试等知识和意识水平。采用李克特量表（1-5）评估放射学在线学习的教学质量，如批判性思维和沟通技巧。学生可以提供意见和反馈。
在 305 名女学生中，有 212 名（71%）参与者回答并被纳入研究。平均年龄为 20 岁，受访者来自不同的学习水平（1 年级-5 年级），其中 47%和 53%的参与者分别来自艾因校区和阿布扎比校区。70%的受访者报告获得学士学位，而 30%的受访者是高级文凭参与者。整体 COVID-19 意识水平平均分（70%）尚可。具有学士学位和临床经验的高年级学生得分高于其他学生（72%比 65%，P<0.05）。大多数受访者的教学因素评估李克特量表模式值（1-5）显示平均（模式=3）响应值。然而，压力因素的模式值较高（模式=5）。整体在线放射学教学质量满意度对教学质量因素的满意度低于 50%。然而，超过一半的受访者（52%）建议使用在线学习系统教授放射学课程。
COVID-19 给全球教育系统带来了诸多挑战，需要实施有效的策略来改进当前的在线教学。教师与学生之间的有效沟通、让学生参与案例研究讨论以及鼓励学生批判性思维和创造性思维都是重要的策略。
在线教授放射学和医学影像学课程对实验室和临床课程构成挑战。建议学术机构实施最先进的技术，在大流行期间弥合传统学习方法和在线学习方法之间的差距。建议学生在心理上做好接受教学模式转变的准备，以减轻压力，并更有效地获得知识和实践技能。
