Preparedness of Undergraduate Medical Students for Online Learning

Objective: To determine the preparedness of the first-year undergraduate medical students toward online learning. Place and Duration of the Study: The study was conducted at the Department of Medical Education, Fazaia Ruth Pfau Medical Methodology: The study participants were first-year undergraduate medical students. A pre-validated instrument developed by Lesley University in July 2014 named 'The Prospective Online Student Readiness Questionnaire' was used. Permission was taken via email. The questionnaire has two parts. Section A consists of the demographic characteristics. Section B evaluates the student's readiness for online learning. Results: Data from 81 respondents were collected through an online questionnaire. The results showed that internet self-efficacy, self directed learning, learner control, and learner style have a positive and significant relationship with students' preparedness for e-learning. Conclusion: Students are aware of the use of technology. They could be more comfortable working independently at the beginning of the course. Online environment and communication for learning purposes with peers also appear to be weak areas. Students prefer visual aids for learning, and very few enjoy raising their hands in class to answer questions. They are confident in social communications but need more confidence in using online tools for effective online communication and posting questions on online forums during discussions.