Online Learning and Student Wellness in the Pre-clinical Curriculum
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Abstract
Background:
Pre-clinical course content in undergraduate medical education is increasingly delivered online with reduced in-person learning; yet it is not well understood how online learning impacts student wellness. The purpose of this study is to examine trends in online learning in the pre-clinical curriculum and students’ perceived wellness.
Methods:
The study will examine pre-clinical course information and student wellness data from IUSM Classes of 2020-2026, who matriculated into medical school between 2016-2022. Course information was collected from End-of-Course (EOC) reports, which report contact hours by pedagogy (i.e., didactic, non-didactic), and delivery method (i.e., in-person, online, or remote learning). Measures of student wellness, including Quality of Life (QoL), were obtained from AAMC surveys. Wellness data from the Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) was compared to the Year 2 Questionnaire (Y2Q) to assess how students’ wellness changed during the pre-clinical years. We examined trends in pedagogical methods, online course delivery, and student wellness across the years of the study.
Results:
The total number of course hours in the pre-clinical curriculum decreased from 1463.5 for the class of 2020 to 1254.75 for the class of 2026, largely driven by a decrease in lecture hours from 516 for the class of 2020 to 354 for the class of 2026. During the years studied, there was a steady shift in lecture delivery from primarily live, in-person lectures to entirely recorded lectures. Students’ QoL scores decreased significantly from 45.5 on the MSQ to 40.0 on the Y2Q (p<.05) across all years of the study.
Conclusions:
Students’ QoL scores decreased across the pre-clinical curriculum for all years studied, however it is unclear whether the amount of online coursework had a significant impact on this decline in student wellness. Further analysis will examine associations between the increase in online coursework and measures of student wellness.